Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to India's heavy defeat in AUS vs IND 2025 1st ODI ft. R Ashwin

R Ashwin

Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has slammed India for ignoring left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI for the first ODI against Australia. The cricketer-turned-analyst further held the batters responsible for the lack of runs despite the presence of several all-rounders for batting depth. He said on his YouTube channel (via India Today):

“I can understand why they’re playing two spinners in the game, along with Nitish Reddy. They want the batting depth because both Washington and Axar can bat. But man, at least give some attention to the bowling too. On these big grounds, if Kuldeep can’t bowl with a lot of freedom, where will he bowl then? And there’s going to be overspin, which will help him get bounce as well.”

“They will talk about this batting depth. But if you want to build your game around batting depth, then the batters have to take responsibility, right? It’s the job of the batters to score the runs. If you’re playing an extra batter, it’s again about shielding the batters. Play your best bowlers, I’ll always say this: play your best bowlers. Don’t pick a team just to extend your batting,” he added.