Ravichandran Ashwin has said that although India have snubbed Kuldeep Yadav repeatedly because he cannot bat at No. 8, they are going to bring in Arshdeep Singh during the third ODI against England and that doesn’t serve as a great batting replacement in a series decider.
India made three changes to the playing XI because of injuries to pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Washington Sundar. But Kuldeep was once again left out as the visitors recalled KL Rahul and handed chances to Arshdeep and Prince Yadav, opting to field four frontline pacers.
With both Shivam Dube and Sundar unavailable, India were forced to compromise on both batting depth and a sixth bowling option. In this combination, Axar Patel slots in as the last recognised batter at No. 7, leaving the visitors with a long tail.
“The only defence for not playing Kuldeep usually is that the batting finishes at number 7. I wonder how it feels to have Arshdeep at number 8 today,” Ashwin tweeted on Sunday evening.
Kuldeep last played for India in the home ODI series against Afghanistan in June, featuring in just one of the three games. He endured a disappointing ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year, made only one appearance during the T20 World Cup and then enjoyed a respectable IPL 2026 campaign.
Asked to bowl first in the series decider, India endured a torrid outing with the ball. England openers Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell stitched together a brilliant 192-run opening stand in under 31 overs, leaving the visitors’ bowlers searching for breakthroughs.
