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Kuldeep YadavIndia’s continued absence from the playing XI has drawn fresh criticism after the left-armer was neglected in the entire ODI series against England, leading to the former Indian not getting into the game Ravichandran Ashwin to question the team management’s faith in him. The spinner was once again ruled out for the third ODI at Lord’s on Sunday, even with Jasprit Bumrah unavailable. His absence further fueled the debate about his role under the head coach Gautam Gambhir. Since Gambhir took over on July 9, 2024, India have played 104 international matches across formats, but Kuldeep has featured in just 38 of them. Due to the lack of opportunities, Ashwin is confident that the spinner is no longer part of the team’s plans. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said that Kuldeep should stop waiting for opportunities that don’t come. “Kuldeep should not be playing at all, there is no need. This is a batsman’s world, which can never understand the confidence and pace of a bowler. I am a big Indian cricket buff – I always think about Indian cricket. Even with the IPL going on, I keep thinking, ‘What can he do for Indian cricket?’ Kuldeep is at the stage where he will play till the age of 35 or 36. He has a good contract; recently embarked on the IPL trade – he should have packed his bags and come. As Mohammad Kaif said, what’s the point?” Ashwin also endorsed Kuldeep’s quality, describing him as the best spinner in world cricket and claiming his record compares with some of the leading white-ball players around the world. “Kuldeep has taken around 170 wickets from 120 matches. If you look at players around the world, he is better than even Adam Zampa. We consider Adam Zampa one of the better white-ball bowlers. He is ahead of all of them,” he said. The former India opener admitted that he had earlier believed that Kuldeep should stay in the squad and continue to improve his batting while waiting for opportunities. However, the selection of India’s team at Lord’s completely changed his perspective. “I was saying before yesterday – Kuldeep should stay there with the kit bag and try to improve his batting. But after yesterday (the third ODI), a lot of things have changed… In this team, where you don’t need batting at No. 8 – you start with bowling power – and even then, after Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, you still don’t take Kuldeep Yadav. That means the management’s confidence in Kuldeep Yadav is absolutely no confidence in Kuldeep Yadav.” he said. Ashwin asked what was in store for Kuldeep if he could not secure a place even when the conditions seemed favorable for his inclusion. “After we left, where’s his chance? Now he has to be number one. But the confidence he’s being shown – it’s gone. What’s the point of Kuldeep continuing? What’s the direction for him?” Ashwin asked. He also suggested that every dressing room naturally develops the desired players, but felt that Kuldeep’s situation had become unusually difficult. “I know everyone has their favorites. It’s impossible for someone to come and say, ‘I’m going to treat everyone the same.’ Without realizing it, you will have your favorites. There will be, but this is a very bizarre case. Yesterday was a big blow for Kuldeep.” Kuldeep last represented India during the home ODI series against Afghanistan in June, where he featured in just one of the three matches. Earlier this year, he endured a disappointing ODI series against New Zealand and also made just one appearance during India’s T20 World Cup campaign.
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