Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has called out the Indian team management for not giving consistent opportunities to Kuldeep Yadav in Test side.
During the recently concluded Test series against Sri Lanka, Kuldeep missed the second match in Colombo after his underwhelming show in the opening fixture.
The wrist-spinner delivered 25 overs across the two innings and managed to take only one wicket in Galle. Given that both Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar bowled almost double his overs, it led to questions on Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir’s trust on Kuldeep.
Ashwin sympathised with Kuldeep, arguing that his confidence could be at an all-time low with this sort of handling by the management.
"Many people are supporting Kuldeep Yadav but many are also against saying what did he do in the last match? It is very difficult to understand. From a player's perspective, his confidence is at the lowest at this point. If you go underground and search also you will not find it. From 60th to 80th over, Jadeja bowls a lot. Why does he bowl a lot there? It is difficult to score runs. That is what they say, but it is also difficult to operate for a spinner. Even an extra spell is not extended and it is so unlucky. With tailenders batting with Dinusha, if Kuldeep was there with his googly and leg break, there would have been some X factor. What wrong has he done? Why is he not getting picked? I really feel sorry for him," Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.
While the previous management actively built Kuldeep Yadav’s confidence through regular game time, the current regime has frequently sidelined him in favor of batting depth or alternative bowling combinations.
Kuldeep was part of India’s squad for the away ODI series against England last month, but warmed the bench in all three matches. He has also been sidelined from the T20I setup following a lackluster IPL 2026 season.
Since making his international debut against Australia in March 2017, the left-arm wrist-spinner has only played 19 Tests, claiming 80 wickets.
Ashwin felt India should have backed Kuldeep after registering a commanding victory in Galle Test.
"They will make him play the next Test (next series) now. But two mistakes does not make one right. The first Test had nothing to do with the second. You had already won the first Test so you could have backed him. I am just not able to accept it," he remarked.
