"Since Gautam Gambhir's Era Began...": R Ashwin's Stunning Take On India's Asia Cup Playing XI
The Indian team went with the combination of three spinners in Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel against the UAE.
- Arshdeep Singh's exclusion from India's Asia Cup playing XI against UAE became a huge talking point
- Ashwin pointed out that head coach Gautam Gambhir has leaned towards an extra spinner
- "It's surprising but not a new thing since Gautam Gambhir's era began," said the former India all-rounder
Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has opened up on pacer Arshdeep Singh's exclusion from the playing XI in the Asia Cup 2025 match against the UAE. Arshdeep's exclusion became a huge talking point as the Indian team went with the combination of three spinners in Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin admitted that while the decision was a bit surprising, he pointed out that head coach Gautam Gambhir has leaned towards an extra spinner ever since he took charge of the team.
"It's surprising but not a new thing since Gautam Gambhir's era began. Even in the Champions Trophy when the wickets were dry, they went with a seamer light. They could have played Arshdeep there. It's been a theme that we could see till the T20 World Cup," said Ashwin.
However, Ashwin questioned the management for fielding an extra batter in the side, that too against a relatively-weaker opposition.
"There are two things that Gambhir and even Suryakumar (Yadav) are leaning towards. One is batting depth. (aBut) Do you really need an extra batter against the UAE, and use Shivam Dube as the fifth bowler? If I was Arshdeep, I would be really disappointed. He has performed well everywhere and was even the No.1 T20 bowler a while back. He also performed well in the T20 World Cup that India won recently," he added.
"Arshdeep would be upset for sure. But I think it is the theme that this team is going for. The next World Cup is in India, and we have seen how Gambhir, even his KKR stint, loved his spinners. It looks like he's backing that route yet again," Ashwin pointed out.
Ashwin also urged the team management to play an extra pacer, especially with the T20 World Cup to be held in India next year.
"If India is going to go spin-heavy and play in spin-friendly conditions, I do think it is a quite dangerous thing. With this batting lineup, I wouldn't really go spin heavy. But I do think we need to play the extra seamer in India. You are going to play in night conditions, and this combination wouldn't always work. You definitely need an extra fast bowler," he concluded.
India Cricket Team
Gautam Gambhir
Ravichandran Ashwin