"Has Cooper Connolly ever faced Kuldeep Yadav?" - Former India player slams team management for missing trick in AUS vs IND 2025 2nd ODI

Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin questioned the team management's decision to keep Kuldeep Yadav on the bench yet again instead of using him as a weapon against the inexperienced Australian middle-order. The Men in Blue lacked an attacking bowling option in the middle overs during the two-wicket loss to Australia in the second ODI at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, October 23.

Team India skipper Shubman Gill named an unchanged playing XI for the must-win encounter, and faced a massive task with only a par target of 265 to defend to remain alive in the series. The bowling attack were able to make an impact, but could not make the most of the Australian middle order's inexperience.

Although the opening pair of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head failed to make an impact, Australia scaled the target through the efforts of Matt Short, Cooper Connolly, and Mitchell Owen, who have played a combined total of only 26 ODIs.

R Ashwin remarked how Australia's ploy of including a frontline spinner in Adam Zampa paid off as he took four wickets. He felt that India could have employed a similar approach by including Kuldeep Yadav in their playing XI.

"How did Adam Zampa take 4 wickets? He was also turning the ball only, right? Tell me one thing, has Cooper Connolly ever faced Kuldeep Yadav? Matt Short might have played here and there, Alex Carey might have faced him a bit, but has struggled. Mitchell Owen has also not played against Kuldeep. Benching him is not a very wise call, I really hope he gets a game. We can say that Harshit Rana scored runs and took 2 wickets, but still, Kuldeep is Kuldeep," R Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

He criticized the team management's obsession with looking for bowlers who can chip in with runs instead of trusting frontline bowlers.

"The bowling attack is looking a bit ordinary, to be honest. It does not feel like a wicket will fall , or how are they even going to take a wicket. We need to get bowlers who can actually get you wickets rather than bowlers who might make you runs," he added.

Harshit Rana showed glimpses of promise with his unbeaten cameo of 24 runs off 18 deliveries, and the wickets of Travis Head and Matt Short. However, in the end, he was among the most expensive Indian bowlers on show, finishing with figures of 2-59 off eight overs.

"There is going to be pressure on the senior players sitting in the dressing room" - R Ashwin on the Indian team atmosphere ahead of AUS vs IND 2025 3rd ODI

Team India are under a lot of scrutiny following their poor set of performances in Australia, which has led to a second consecutive ODI bilateral series defeat away from home.

Poor batting returns from key names, pressure from the players on the bench who are yet to feature in a game, and being outplayed by a second-string Australian outfit, are all prominent factors that will play a massive role in the short lead-up to the last match of the series.

"There is going to be pressure on the senior players sitting in the dressing room, because there are some high-quality players sitting on the bench. I saw somewhere that Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar were having an animated conversation with Yashasvi Jaiswal. I'm sure he is in the mix, because he has the credentials. I would not read too much into this series loss, my concern is that even without Bumrah, we should be having a good bowling attack, where is that depth?" R Ashwin concluded.

The third and final ODI between India and Australia is scheduled for Saturday, October 25, at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The hosts have already secured the series through an unassailable lead of 2-0.