Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin did not hold back in expressing his disappointment at the team management's decision to drop ace-spinner Kuldeep Yadav from the playing eleven as India lost the fourth T20I against West Indies.
West Indies levelled the ongoing five-match T20I series by 2-2, after beating India by 24 runs on Wednesday.
Expressing his confusion over the management's decision to drop Kuldeep, despite the fact that the 31-year-old spinner was doing decently well against the Caribbean team.
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Ashwin noted that the call missed the common sense. Kuldeep played the first two matches of the series, which were held in Lucknow and Ranchi respectively, before being left out for the next two games in Indore and Hyderabad.
The left-arm wrist spinner returned figures of 2 for 33 in the opening match but conceded 53 runs in the Ranchi match, which India eventually lost.
“It is very surprising because, on a ground where you expect to get some bounce, I know it has not always been a happy hunting ground for spinners. But the West Indies batters are struggling to pick his (Kuldeep) googly and leg-spin. So, if you are leaving Kuldeep out against them, it lacks a bit of common sense," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
"It is very surprising because I think his presence could have made a difference of 15-20 runs,” he added.
In the fourth T20 International in Hyderabad, India's bowling problems persisted as the West Indies scored 247 for 3 and won by 24 runs after dismissing India for 223.
“I was surprised. Kuldeep was not picked in Indore, and I would still endorse that decision because I can understand that the ground is small. But you are almost making an issue out of it by suggesting that India's loss in Ranchi was because of Kuldeep. That, in itself, is wrong,” he concluded.
Kuldeep was India's leading wicket-taker in the ODI series against the West Indies earlier this month, claiming seven wickets in three matches as India won the series 2-1.
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The five-match T20I series is currently level at 2-2, with the decider set to be played in Bengaluru.
India will then turn their attention to a lengthy tour of New Zealand, where they are scheduled to play five T20Is, five ODIs and two Test matches. The T20I series is set to begin on October 22.
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