"One Can Only Feel Bad": R Ashwin Slams India's Playing XI Call Against England
Former Indian cricket team spinner R Ashwin questioned the decision to not include Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI for the third ODI encounter against England.
- R Ashwin questioned the decision to not include Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI for the 3rd ODI vs England
- Ashwin said that such exclusions can end up impact Kuldeep's rhythm and confidence
- "Adding Bumrah's absence to that, one can only feel bad for Kuldeep," the ex-India spinner posted
Former Indian cricket team spinner R Ashwin questioned the decision to not include Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI for the third ODI encounter against England on Sunday. Kuldeep did not feature in any of the three matches against England and even during the home ODI series against Afghanistan, he played just one game where he went wicketless. Ashwin said that such exclusions can end up impact Kuldeep's rhythm and confidence before pointing out that India's batting looked quick even after not including Kuldeep. India went with four fast bowlers and only one spin bowling all-rounder in Axar Patel.
"The only defense for not playing Kuldeep usually is that the batting finishes at number 7, wonder how it feels to have Arshdeep at number 8 today! Adding Bumrah's absence to that, one can only feel bad for Kuldeep. Trust me, this can affect the rhythm and confidence of a bowler," he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The only defense for not playing Kuldeep usually is that the batting finishes at number 7, wonder how it feels to have Arshdeep at number 8 today!
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) July 19, 2026
Adding Bumrah's absence to that, one can only feel bad for Kuldeep.
Trust me, this can affect the rythm and confidence of a…
The Indian team management has usually preferred Axar and Washington as they bolster batting depth. While Axar and Washington have justified their selection with all-round performances, Kuldeep's primary skill continues to be overlooked due to his lower-order batting limitations.
The left-arm wrist-spinner has endured a tough run lately after having a challenging IPL 2026 campaign for Delhi Capitals. Post the tournament's end, Kuldeep made a switch to Lucknow Super Giants via a trade deal which saw Rishabh Pant moving back to Delhi Capitals. While Kuldeep boasts an incredibly impressive career record of 194 wickets in 121 ODIs, his continuous non-selection still leaves many people curious.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook(c), Jos Buttler(w), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Kuldeep Yadav
Ravichandran Ashwin