ENG vs IND 2025: 'Blowing my mind’ - R Ashwin tears into Indian management for ignoring Kuldeep Yadav in Manchester

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin criticised India’s team combination following a disappointing performance with the ball on Day 2 of the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford, Manchester. 

Notably, India were forced to make multiple changes to their playing XI. Anshul Kamboj received his maiden India call-up, replacing the injured Akash Deep, while Shardul Thakur came in for Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has been ruled out of the series with a knee injury. Ashwin expressed that India should have opted for a specialist bowler to support Jasprit Bumrah, instead of prioritising batting depth by relying on all-rounders.

The former spinner suggested that Kuldeep Yadav could have been an ideal inclusion, as his presence would have provided much-needed relief to the Indian pacers, who have shouldered the bulk of the workload throughout the tour.

"See, you may get 20-30 extra runs from the No.8 batter, but if that player at No.8 takes 2-3 wickets, then the complexion of the Test match can change. The management decided to play Nitish Kumar Reddy at Lord's and Birmingham, I'll admit that was an okay decision, because he is a top-six calibre batter, and he is not Ben Stokes yet, but there is skill in his bowling," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

"Once Nitish Kumar Reddy went out of the picture at No.6, it was a no-brainer to play Kuldeep Yadav. 15 full days of cricket has happened already, your fast bowling attack is tiring, Siraj was tiring. Even though Bumrah's workload has been managed, it is still not an easy task. Kuldeep Yadav is a serious miss for India, and England are ahead in the Test. Shubman Gill is unable to give six over, seven over spells to Bumrah, you cannot run him to the ground. I felt the spinners could have been rotated better," Ashwin said.

Surprised not to see Kuldeep in the XI: Ashwin

Ashwin elaborated that taking 20 wickets should always be the top priority in Test cricket, even over batting depth or contributions from the lower order. He emphasised that the flat nature of English conditions has made first-innings leads increasingly insignificant.

"If somebody would have told me that Kuldeep Yadav will not be playing any part in the first four Tests, I would have been very, very surprised. Unfortunately, it is our obsession with batting, and looking for those 20-30 extra runs. Gone are those days in England, that advantage of 20-30 runs is gone. If your No.7 makes 30 runs, and your No.8 makes 30 runs, you have extra 60 runs. Earlier that 60 runs used to be very useful, because bowlers used to get help from the pitch," Ashwin said.

India had no other options to take a wicket: Ashwin

Ashwin noted that including Kuldeep would have benefited India, as the batting lineup was already well-balanced, particularly with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar providing reliability in the lower middle order.

"If you are only planning to give Shardul Thakur this many overs, and expect 20-30 runs from him. I love Shardul Thakur, I like him a lot, but if this is the usage point, why can't you consider Kuldeep Yadav? It is just blowing my head away. I know it seems against the grain because there are three spinners, but it is not that way, Jadeja is a specialist batter for you now. Washington Sundar is also batting well. When your bowlers can bat so well, why are you not bringing an attacking bowler? Today, Jassi [Jasprit] was bowling, and after that it looked like India had no other options to take a wicket," Ashwin said.

"I am not saying that Kuldeep would have picked up five wickets if he was playing, but it plays with a batter's mind. A lot of these guys don't pick him, and this was a great opportunity. He would have at least picked one wicket if he was playing today," he concluded.