Ashwin again questions Kuldeep's absence from India playing XI, but does the wrist spinner fit in?
&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Ashwin again questions Kuldeep's absence from India playing XI, but does the wrist spinner fit in?")
Does Kuldeep really fit in India playing XI in ODIs? Photograph: (AFP)
India played two spin all-rounders to extend depth in batting which India clearly needed, given the performance so far. Removing Reddy or one of the pacers to fit in Kuldeep also doesn't make too much sense in Australia where spinners get little help and there are already two in the team.
India have lost the ODI series in Australia after the hosts won the first two of three ODIs and the last match, a dead rubber, is set to be played on Saturday (Oct 25). After the loss in both the matches, retired Indian spinner Ravi Ashwin questioned the absence of wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Ashwin strongly opined that Kuldeep should have been in the playing XI - but the question is who should have been left out for him.
India's Playing XI in first two ODIs vs Australia
India played two spin all-rounders in Axar Patel and Washington Sundar as well as medium-pace all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. There were three outright pacers in Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh to support the bowling.
Now, the logic behind playing two spin all-rounders was extending depth in batting which India clearly needed, given the performance in the lost matches where they scored 136/9 and 264/9 in two matches, respectively. Removing Reddy or one of the pacers to fit in Kuldeep also doesn't make too much sense in Australia where spinners get little help and there are already two in the team. Also, Kuldeep's white-ball record in SENA countries as well as Australia is not stellar to guarantee a place in playing XI.
How has Kuldeep performed in Australia and SENA countries in ODIs and T20Is
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Out of 113 ODI played, last of which came against New Zealand in Champions Trophy 2025 final in Dubai (UAE), Kuldeep has 181 wickets to his name. Out of these matches, he has played 26 in SENA countries and has taken 46 wickets, In Australia though, the spinner has played only three matches and taken only three wickets.
As for T20Is, Kuldeep has played only eight of his 47 matches in SENA countries, taking 17 of his 86 wickets. In Australia though, he has taken only three wickets in four matches.
While the record is clearly not on Kuldeep's side in Australia, he can feature in the final match of the series as it won't have any impact on the series result.
