Ashwin questions Kuldeep’s omission in India’s T20I defeat

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin questioned India’s decision to leave Kuldeep Yadav out of the fourth T20I against the West Indies, saying the wrist-spinner’s variations could have been useful against a batting lineup that had struggled to read them. India lost the match by 24 runs in Hyderabad on October 15, after the West Indies scored 247 for 3 and bowled India out for 223 in 19.3 overs. Shai Hope scored an unbeaten 102 from 50 balls as the visitors levelled the five-match series at 2-2. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said Kuldeep’s omission was surprising, particularly on a ground where he expected some bounce. He pointed to the West Indies batters’ difficulty picking the spinner’s googly and legspin, and estimated that Kuldeep’s presence might have made a difference of 15 to 20 runs. That figure was Ashwin’s assessment of a hypothetical outcome, not a measured account of what Kuldeep would have conceded. Kuldeep had played the first two matches of the series before being left out for the games in Indore and Hyderabad. Ashwin said he supported the decision to omit him in Indore, citing the ground’s small dimensions. He also rejected the suggestion that...