Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has strongly questioned the team management’s handling of Kuldeep Yadav (Image: IANS)

Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned India’s continued omission of Kuldeep Yadav, warning that the left-arm wrist-spinner’s prolonged absence from the playing XI could dent his confidence and rhythm.Kuldeep was once again left out of India’s side for the third and final ODI against England at Lord’s on Sunday, despite the visitors missing two frontline bowling options. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out with a knee injury, while all-rounder Washington Sundar was unavailable after suffering a hamstring injury. Yet, the Indian team management opted for a pace-heavy attack comprising four fast bowlers and only one specialist spinner in Axar Patel, leaving Kuldeep on the sidelines.Reacting to the decision, former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin expressed sympathy for Kuldeep, suggesting that repeated omissions could negatively impact the spinner’s confidence.“The only defense for not playing Kuldeep usually is that the batting finishes at number 7. Wonder how it feels to have Arshdeep at number 8 today! Adding Bumrah’s absence to that, one can only feel bad for Kuldeep. Trust me, this can affect the rhythm and confidence of a bowler,” Ashwin wrote on X.Kuldeep has now missed all three ODIs of India’s tour of England after also being rested for the preceding T20I series. His opportunities have been limited in recent months, having featured in just one match during the home ODI series against Afghanistan, where he returned figures of 0/42 in Lucknow.India’s preference for Axar Patel and Washington Sundar has largely been driven by the added batting depth they provide, often pushing Kuldeep down the pecking order despite his proven wicket-taking ability in the 50-over format.

Playing XIs for India vs England at Lord’s

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.England: Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue.