- July 29, 2025
When R Ashwin talks, cricket fans listen. And this time, he’s not holding back. After India’s gutsy draw in the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Ashwin has stirred the pot with some bold—but brutally honest—questions about India’s team selection. Specifically, why pick bowlers like Shardul Thakur and Anshul Kamboj if you don’t trust them to do the job? With the final Test at The Oval around the corner, it’s the perfect time to rethink not just the XI, but how India approaches the idea of “balance” in their squad.
Playing to Bat, But Not to Bowl? That’s a Red Flag
In Manchester, England, piled on a mammoth 669, yet two Indian pacers barely got the ball. Shardul Thakur bowled just 11 overs, and debutant Anshul Kamboj was used for only 18. That’s out of 157 overs. Think about that. It raises a key issue: why carry bowlers if you’re not planning to bowl them?
Ashwin nailed it when he said, “You can have a bad spell, but you can always come back.” He’s not wrong. Bowling isn’t batting—you don’t bench a batter mid-innings if he starts slow. Similarly, pacers need rhythm, overs, and belief from their captain.
Shardul, seen as a bowling all-rounder, was treated more like a luxury lower-order batter. That’s fine—if you’re England and you have Stokes. But India? Not really. If you’re not letting him bowl when the team is desperate for breakthroughs, are you using him for his strengths? Ashwin’s point cuts through the noise: if your priority is batting depth, then don’t complicate it—just pick a proper batter. Leave out a “bowling all-rounder” you’re unwilling to bowl.
Jadeja & Sundar: More Than Just Support Acts
Now, let us concentrate on India’s unlikely saviors–Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar–who shifted India’s momentum from near-collapse to a display of skill and toughness. Both players made vital contributions (with no help from the top order) with unbeaten hundreds–and they not only survived pressure, but they counterattacked.
And Ashwin is correct. This is the opposite of what has often been the thinking of Indian teams, namely, we cannot have too many very good bowlers in the batting order. This clearly could flip if Jadeja and Sundar were picked in the top six, and India had less fear of allowing space for an extra specialist– Kuldeep Yadav.
Kuldeep’s Time to Shine—Finally?
Ashwin’s trump card in this selection puzzle? Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm wrist-spinner has been sitting on the bench for four Tests, despite being a match-winning bowler in the right conditions. The Oval may not be a raging turner, but Ashwin thinks it is time to make room for Kuldeep regardless because India requires wicket-takers rather than line-and-length bowlers.
Thanks to Sundar and Jadeja’s dual roles, the team has earned the luxury of experimenting. And honestly, Kuldeep is overdue for a serious run. Ashwin even joked about being accused of “talking too much about Kuldeep”—but that just shows how passionately he believes in the guy’s value.
Gill and Gambhir now have the ideal opportunity to reconsider their structure. Kuldeep provides something that nobody else in the squad does: variation, mystery, and the potential to break partnerships when nothing else works.
India manufactured a heroic escape in Manchester, but despite the high stakes of an utterly absorbing match, their selection mitories and strategies looked more baffling than not. Ashwin’s comments force the team – and supporters alike – to confront a brutal reality: picking a player you have no faith in having success in is worse than not picking him at all.
