'Unko khud 1-2 wicket lete huye sharam aa rahi thi. He was hiding his face': Kapil Dev's staggering verdict on Ashwin

Former India captain Kapil Dev is not convinced of R Ashwin's abilities in T20I cricket.

R Ashwin is enjoying a fine return to the Indian limited-overs set-up. After being out of contention for a long time, the off-spinner made his comeback into the T20 fold during last year's T20 World Cup and is now regularly featuring in India's Playing XI. The management has shown tremendous faith in Ashwin's capabilities, so much so Yuzvendra Chahal - India's . 1 wrist-spinner is warming the bench and is yet to play a single game in the ongoing World Cup. Ashwin, who has gotten the preference over Chahal has played all five Super 12 matches for India picking up six wickets while bowling economically.

However, former India captain Kapil Dev is not convinced of Ashwin's abilities in T20I cricket. During a discussion, Kapil pointed out that even though the India spinner has picked up wickets, he is lacking the same confidence and belief. In fact, Kapil even mentioned that some of the wickets which Ashwin has taken in the tournament were mostly due to the faults of the batsmen than the other way round.

"Until now, Ashwin hasn't given me the confidence. He picked up wickets today but it didn't look as if he got them. In fact, batsmen iss tarah out huye ki unhe khud bhi 1-2 wickets lete huye sharam aa rahi thi (Some of the batsmen got out in a way that Ashwin himself couldn't believe it). He was hiding his face. Picking up wickets obviously gives you that confidence but the Ashwin we know, we haven't seen him show the same rhythm," Kapil said on ABP News.

On current form, Ashwin is likely to be persisted with for India's semifinal contest against England at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday. But as far as the Ashwin vs Chahal debate is concerned, Kapil feels that although the odds are currently stacked in the off-spinner's favour, one should not entirely rule out the possibility of India springing in a surprise in the form of Chahal.

"It depends on the team management. If they have the confidence on Ashwin, it's good. He has played the entire tournament so he can adjust if need be. But if you want to surprise the opposition, they can always turn to the wrist-spinner (Chahal). Whoever wins the confidence of the management and captain, will play," added Kapil.