Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has strongly criticised India's team management for their decision to drop Kuldeep Yadav in the first ODI against Australia at Perth.
Despite Kuldeep's recent excellent form, he was omitted to accommodate three all-rounders: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar. Kuldeep had a fantastic outing in the Asia Cup 2025, followed by in the Tests against West Indies.
Ashwin questioned this choice, emphasizing the importance of playing the best bowlers, especially on big grounds like Perth where Kuldeep's wrist-spin could be highly effective.
"I can understand why they're playing two spinners in the game along with Nitish Reddy, they want the batting depth because both Washington and Axar can bat.
But man, at least give some attention to the bowling. On these big grounds, if Kuldeep can't bowl with a lot of freedom, where will he bowl then? And there's going to be overspin which will help him get bounce as well," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
He also pointed out the flaw in relying on batting depth without batsmen taking responsibility, saying, "If you want to build your game around batting depth, then the batters have to take responsibility, right? It's the job of the batters to score the runs. If you're playing an extra batter, it's again about shielding the batters. Play your best bowlers, I'll always say this play your best bowlers. Don't pick a team just to extend your batting. "
India's batting also faltered in the first ODI, managing only 136 runs in 26 overs on a lively Perth surface, which put immense pressure on the bowlers. The team lost by seven wickets, with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma failing to make an impact on their comeback.
India currently trail the three-match series 0-1 and will be playing the 2nd ODI in Adelaide on October 23, which is a must-win for Shubman Gill and his team.
