Ravichandran Ashwin criticises Kuldeep Yadav's exclusion from West Indies T20I series
Ravichandran Ashwin said dropping Kuldeep Yadav against the West Indies lacks common sense given the visitors' struggles against his variations.
Ravichandran Ashwin said the decision to drop Kuldeep Yadav from India's T20I XI against the West Indies lacks common sense. Ashwin spoke on his YouTube podcast after India lost the fourth T20I in Hyderabad. Kuldeep featured in the first two matches in Lucknow and Ranchi before being dropped for the subsequent matches in Indore and Hyderabad.
Ashwin argued that West Indies batters struggle to pick Kuldeep's googly and leg-spin. He estimated the spinner's presence could have made a difference of 15-20 runs in the two matches he missed. Ashwin said he was surprised by the decision to exclude the wrist-spinner on a surface offering bounce.
The series is level at 2-2, with the decider scheduled for Bengaluru on Saturday. Kuldeep had emerged as the pick of the Indian bowlers during the ODI series earlier this month, taking seven wickets in three games.
CricHubb Take
Ashwin's critique points to a pattern where wrist-spinners are judged more harshly than other bowlers when economy rates rise on flat pitches.