R Ashwin questions Kuldeep Yadav’s absence, says repeated taunts ‘affect confidence’ | Cricket News
Ravichandran Ashwin questioned India’s continued removal of Kuldeep Yadavwarned that the left-arm wrist-spinner’s prolonged absence from the playing XI could damage his confidence and rhythm.Kuldeep was again left out of the Indian side for the third and final ODI against England at Lord’s on Sunday, despite the visitors missing two frontline bowling options. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah did not participate due to a knee injury, while all-rounder Washington Sundar did not participate after suffering a hamstring injury. However, the Indian team management opted for a strong attack consisting of four fast bowlers and only one specialist spinner in Axar Patel, leaving Kuldeep in the side.Reacting to the decision, former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin expressed sympathy for Kuldeep, suggesting that repeated dismissals could negatively affect the spinner’s confidence.“The only defense for not playing Kuldeep usually is that the batting ends at number 7. Know how it feels to have Arshdeep at number 8 now! Adding Bumrah’s absence to that, one can only feel bad for Kuldeep. Trust me, it affects a bowler’s rhythm and confidence,” Ashwin wrote in X.Kuldeep is now out of all three ODIs on India’s tour of England after also being rested for the preceding T20I series. His opportunities have been limited in recent months, featuring in just one match during the home ODI series against Afghanistan, where he returned figures of 0/42 in Lucknow.India’s preference for Axar Patel and Washington Sundar is largely driven by the added batting depth they provide, often pushing Kuldeep down the pecking order despite his proven wicket-taking ability in the 50-over format.
Playing XIs for India against England at Lord’s
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.England: Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue.
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