Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the team management’s decision to leave Kuldeep Yadav out of the playing XI for the fourth T20I against West Indies at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. He believes the wrist-spinner could have made a difference in a match where India’s bowlers struggled to contain the opposition.

India conceded 247 runs in 20 overs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday before suffering a 24-run defeat. With the five-match series now level at 2-2, Ashwin felt that leaving Kuldeep out was a surprising decision, especially given the difficulties West Indies batters had faced against his bowling.

Ashwin Questions India’s Decision To Drop Kuldeep

Kuldeep was part of India’s playing XI for the first two T20Is of the series in Lucknow and Ranchi. However, he was dropped for the third match in Indore and remained on the bench for the fourth T20I in Hyderabad.

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The left-arm wrist-spinner took two wickets for 33 runs in the opening match. He had a more expensive outing in the second T20I, conceding 53 runs, as India suffered a defeat.

While Ashwin could understand the decision to leave Kuldeep out in Indore because of the ground’s smaller dimensions, he was surprised that the spinner was not brought back for the Hyderabad match.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin pointed out that Kuldeep’s variations could have troubled the West Indies batters and helped India restrict their scoring.

Ashwin Defends Kuldeep After Ranchi Defeat

Ashwin also disagreed with the suggestion that Kuldeep’s performance in the second T20I was the reason behind India’s defeat in Ranchi. He said the decision to drop the spinner after that game was understandable, but the team should not have continued to leave him out.

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Kuldeep had been among India’s most effective bowlers in the ODI series against West Indies earlier this month. He finished the three-match series with seven wickets, making his exclusion from the T20I playing XI a talking point.

India And West Indies Set For Bengaluru Decider

India will now look to bounce back in the series decider after West Indies levelled the contest with their win in Hyderabad. Shai Hope led the visitors’ charge with the bat, while India’s bowlers struggled to keep the scoring rate under control.

The fifth and final T20I will be played on October 17 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. With the series tied at 2-2, both teams will have everything to play for in the final match.