After the first Test match against Sri Lanka, former Indian cricketer R Ashwin expressed sympathy for Kuldeep Yadav, acknowledging that he is in a "difficult situation" as a third spinner and is not the captain's first option.
At the first Test at Galle, the left-arm wrist spinner had a challenging match, taking just one wicket as Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja took 14 scalps in between them.
Under the right circumstances, Kuldeep Yadav was poised to play a significant role for India, but other spinners took center stage. He bowled just 25 overs, which was just slightly more than the seamers and the fewest among the front-line spinners.
Ashwin pointed out that Kuldeep Yadav was the third spinner when he and Jadeja were playing for India and remains in the same position even now.
"We could comfortably see that Kuldeep Yadav was the third spinner in this bowling attack. He was the third spinner even when Jadeja and I were playing. It is not easy to play as a third or fourth spinner in the playing XI. It is also not easy to bowl with the Kookaburra ball in Sri Lanka after the 30-over mark. Honestly, if you have to bowl Kuldeep in these conditions, it has to be in the first 30 overs. You cannot bring him late into the attack, and a spinner will never get rhythm with short spells," R Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin went on to point fingers at the team management for progressively undermining Kuldeep Yadav's self-confidence and failing to make the most of his abilities.
“Already, as it is, his confidence is not that high. When KL Rahul came out to lead the side when Shubman Gill was off the field, he brought Kuldeep Yadav into the attack. So, you can see a couple of things from this. Maybe he is not the preferred priority for Shubman Gill as a captain. It is a very, very difficult situation that Kuldeep finds himself in; I have all the sympathy. Did his skill go away? That must not have happened. You have kept him out game after game, and even in the game he is given a chance, he is not used properly; it is not the player's fault," Ashwin continued.
Kuldeep Yadav’s only wicket in the Test was that of Kamindu Mendis in the first innings of Sri Lanka.
Ashwin advised the team management to continue with the current lineup for the second Test as well, pointing out that there might be a temptation to substitute an off-spinner like Saransh Jain for Kuldeep Yadav in the starting lineup.
"You can go with the same playing XI for the second Test, unless you want a third seamer. If you wanted to play Saransh Jain, it should have been this match. If you have won the Test, what is the need to make any change? I don't see a reason why you need to make a change to the playing XI," Ashwin said.
India will look to win the second Test and gain valuable WTC points to stay alive in their efforts to play the WTC final. The second and final Test will be played in Galle from August 23 onwards.
