Kuldeep YadavThe continued absence of India’s playing eleven has attracted fresh criticism after the left-arm wrist spinner was overlooked for the entire ODI series against England, prompting the ex-spinner to quit India. Ravichandran Ashwin to question the team management’s faith in him. The spinner once again missed out in the third ODI at Lord’s on Sunday, even with Jasprit Bumrah unavailable. His omission also fueled the debate about his role under the coach Gautam Gambhir. Since Gambhir took over on July 9, 2024, India have played 104 international matches across all formats, but Kuldeep has featured in only 38 of them. The lack of opportunities has left Ashwin convinced that the spinner is no longer part of the team’s plans. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said that Kuldeep should stop waiting for chances that don’t seem to come. “Kuldeep should not be played at all, There is no need at all. This is the world of a batsman, who can never understand the confidence and pace of a bowler. I am a great. Indian cricket buff – I still think about Indian cricket. Even when the IPL is going on, I keep thinking, “What can he do for Indian cricket?” Kuldeep is at a stage where he will play till the age of 35 or 36 years. He has a good contract; he recently went into the IPL trade – he should pack his bags and come. As well as Mohammad Kaif he said, what’s the point?” Ashwin also supported Kuldeep’s quality, describing him as the best wrist spinner in world cricket and arguing that his record compares favorably with some of the leading white-ball spinners across the globe. “Kuldeep has taken around 170 wickets from 120 matches. If you look at the wrist spinners in the world, he is even better than Adam Zampa. We consider Adam Zampa one of the best white spinners. He is ahead of all,” he said. The former Indian spinner admitted that he had earlier believed that Kuldeep should stay with the team and continue to improve his batting while waiting for opportunities. However, the selection of the India team at Lord’s completely changed his perspective. “Before yesterday, I said – Kuldeep should stay here with the kit bag and try to improve his batting. But after yesterday (third ODI), a lot of things changed … In this team, where you don’t need to bat at number 8 – you go with bowling strength – and even then, after the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, it means that the management of Jasprit has not taken. Kuldeep Yadav is absolutely zero The team management does not trust Kuldeep Yadav “, he said. Ashwin asked what is in store for Kuldeep if he is unable to secure a place even when conditions seem to favor his inclusion. “After we left, where is his chance? He should be number one now. But the confidence shown in him – there is none. What is the point of Kuldeep continuing? What is the direction forward for him.” Ashwin asked. He also suggested that every waiter naturally develops favorite players, but felt that Kuldeep’s situation had become unusually difficult. “We know that everyone has their favourites. It is impossible for someone to come and say, ‘I will treat everyone equally’. Without even realizing it, you will have your favourites. That will be there, but this is a very strange case. Yesterday was a big blow for Kuldeep.” Kuldeep last represented India during the home ODI series against Afghanistan in June, where he featured in just one of the three matches. Earlier this year, he endured a disappointing ODI series against New Zealand and also made just one appearance during India’s T20 World Cup campaign.