NEW DELHI: Kuldeep Yadav has warmed the bench in the first two ODIs against Australia - a move that has left India's team management with plenty to ponder after consecutive losses.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has advocated for Kuldeep's inclusion in the final ODI against Australia in Sydney, highlighting how the left-arm spinner could prove useful for India.
3rd ODI: India look to avoid whitewash in Rohit-Kohli's final act down under
"Axar Patel and Washington Sundar both took wickets, so we can't fault their efforts. But the key is taking wickets. Look at Adam Zampa - he took four wickets, and his ball spins too. Think about it, has Cooper Connolly ever faced Kuldeep? Matthew Short, maybe here and there. Alex Carey has faced him but struggled. Mitchell Owen hasn't played against him at all," Ashwin said on his YouTube show Ash ki Baat.
"This Australian batting lineup hasn't seen Kuldeep before. Historically, everyone who faces him early on struggles. So leaving him out isn't the wisest call. I hope he gets a game in Sydney. Harshit Rana has contributed with both bat and ball, but Kuldeep offers something extra - he's a proven wicket-taker," he added.
Rohit Sharma’s stellar SCG record key to India’s bid to avoid whitewash
India will now look to salvage some pride in the third ODI in Sydney on Saturday, which will also mark the last time Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play Down Under. With no ODI series scheduled in Australia over the next two years, it seems unlikely that the duo will be seen on Australian soil again.
While Rohit Sharma has rightfully earned some breathing space with a fighting 73 off 97 balls albeit in a lost cause, Kohli's back-to-back ducks, his first ever in international cricket, has definitely made his die-hard fans contemplate whether this is the beginning of the end.
Rohit first came here for the CB Series in 2007-08 while Kohli's first tour with the senior team was in the 2011-12 season when he made an instant impact with a Test century at Adelaide.
