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R Ashwin triggers red alert over Kuldeep Yadav ahead of T20 World Cup: ‘His confidence came down a bit’
Kuldeep will now turn his attention to the upcoming T20I series vs New Zealand, which serves as India's vital final dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup.
Kuldeep Yadav endured a difficult ODI series against New Zealand, finishing with only three wickets across the three matches. The wrist-spinner struggled to settle into a rhythm, with Daryl Mitchell repeatedly taking him on and blunting his impact. Even on familiar home surfaces, Kuldeep found it hard to trouble the New Zealand batters, conceding runs at a rate of over seven an over, which further underlined his ineffective run through the series.
Veteran India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin weighed in on India’s spin struggles after the ODI series, offering a candid assessment of how New Zealand’s aggressive intent unsettled the bowlers, while also reflecting on the possible impact it may have had on Kuldeep's confidence ahead of the T20 World Cup.
“New Zealand batters took the proactive approach against the Indian spinners by taking them on immediately. Kuldeep Yadav is one of the finest bowlers. He has all the tools. But before the T20 World Cup, his confidence would have come down a bit,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Kuldeep will now turn his attention to the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand, which serves as a vital final dress rehearsal for India as they prepare for the home T20 World Cup.
Reflecting on Kuldeep's struggles during the ODI series against New Zealand, Ashwin pointed out the need for greater adaptability from the wrist-spinner, especially when batters like Daryl Mitchell were able to dictate terms and negate his usual strengths.
“My only submission to Kuldeep Yadav would be asking him to experiment a little more. When a batter is batting as well as Daryl Mitchell is against you, and wickets aren’t falling, we have to make the play. His wagon wheel will show you no runs on the offside because of a closed bottom hand. I am concerned that Kuldeep didn’t do this in all three ODIs,” stated Ashwin.
“Indian spinners can be a bit more creative”
Sharing his assessment of India’s spin bowling after the series, the veteran spinner referenced New Zealand star Jayden Lennox’s impact and said the criticism directed at Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep underlined the need for both spinners to expand their skill sets and be more inventive.
“Many saw (Jayden) Lennox’s bowling and criticised Jadeja and Kuldeep’s bowling. Yes, both are in a situation where they have to expand their game. Both the Indian spinners can be a bit more creative,” said Ashwin.
