"It is our obsession with batting" - R Ashwin's scathing take on Team India after Day 2 of ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin slammed Team India's combination after a tough day with the ball in Day 2 of the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford, Manchester. The visitors lacked potency with the ball as fifties from Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley propelled the side to 225-2 at Stumps, in reply to India's 358 in the first innings.

Team India had to make multiple changes to their setup following an injury crisis after the Lord's Test. Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Arshdeep Singh all sustained injuries, paving the way for Anshul Kamboj to make his debut, and all-rounder Shardul Thakur to return to the playing XI after being dropped in the early stages of the tour.

The bowling attack struggled to make an impact with the new ball as the overhead conditions eased up considerably. The supporting pacers failed to find any control, as their combined 25 overs went for 141 runs, with only one wicket in return.

R Ashwin opined that India should have featured a specialist bowler to assist Jasprit Bumrah instead of relying on all-rounders for the sake of batting depth.

"See, you may get 20-30 extra runs from the No.8 batter, but if that player at No.8 takes 2-3 wickets, then the complexion of the Test match can change. The management decided to play Nitish Kumar Reddy at Lord's and Birmingham, I'll admit that was an okay decision, because he is a top-six calibre batter, and he is not Ben Stokes yet, but there is skill in his bowling," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

He further elaborated that an option like Kuldeep Yadav was perfect for India, as he could relieve the jaded Indian pacers who have played the majority of the tour.

"Once Nitish Kumar Reddy went out of the picture at No.6, it was a no-brainer to play Kuldeep Yadav. 15 full days of cricket has happened already, your fast bowling attack is tiring, Siraj was tiring. Even though Bumrah's workload has been managed, it is still not an easy task. Kuldeep Yadav is a serious miss for India, and England are ahead in the Test."

He added:

"Shubman Gill is unable to give six over, seven over spells to Bumrah, you cannot run him to the ground. I felt the spinners could have been rotated better."

Ashwin explained how factors contributing towards picking 20 wickets should always take precedence over batting depth and bonus runs in the lower order. He opined that the flat nature of the English wickets in the Bazball era has made marginal leads redundant.

"If somebody would have told me that Kuldeep Yadav will not be playing any part in the first four Tests, I would have been very very surprised. Unfortunately, it is our obsession with batting, and looking for those 20-30 extra runs. Gone are those days in England, that advantage of 20-30 runs is gone. If your No.7 makes 30 runs, and your No.8 makes 30 runs, you have extra 60 runs. Earlier that 60 runs used to be very useful, because bowlers used to get help from the pitch," Ashwin said.

Kuldeep Yadav was touted to play the second Test at Edgbaston, especially after reports of Jasprit Bumrah being rested came out. However, India prioritised batting depth on that occasion, bringing in both all-rounders, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar.

"It is just blowing my head away" - R Ashwin on Kuldeep Yadav being benched in ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Despite having as many as six credible bowling options, Team India struggled to make a dent in England's free-flowing batting. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley put together an opening partnership of 166 runs, before Ravindra Jadeja made the first breakthrough.

Shardul Thakur, picked for his all-round abilities, scored a handy 41 in the first innings, but had a horrid spell with the ball. Brought in early in the final session, he conceded 35 runs in five overs, giving away six boundaries, courtesy of his erratic line and length.

Ashwin remarked that having Kuldeep Yadav as an option would have helped India since the batting took care of itself, especially with both Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar proving to be reliable in the lower middle-order.

"If you are only planning to give Shardul Thakur this many overs, and expect 20-30 runs from him. I love Shardul Thakur, I like him a lot, but if this is the usage point, why can't you consider Kuldeep Yadav? It is just blowing my head away. I know it seems against the grain because it is three spinners, but it is not that way, Jadeja is a specialist batter for you now."

He added:

"Washington Sundar is also batting well. When your bowlers can bat so well, why are you not bringing an attacking bowler? Today, Jassi was bowling, and after that it looked like India had no other options to take a wicket."

"I am not saying that Kuldeep would have picked up five wickets if he was playing, but it plays with a batter's mind. A lot of these guys don't pick him, and this was a great opportunity. He would have atleast picked one wicket if he was playing today," Ashwin concluded.

England trail only by 133 in the first innings with eight wickets still in hand. The middle order pair of Ollie Pope and Joe Root are intact at the crease, building on the lucrative platform set by the openers.