Ravichandran Ashwin is no longer hinting. Five weeks of measured criticism have given way to a direct accusation: India’s captain and team management do not trust Kuldeep Yadav.
“The captain and team management do not trust Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling, they aren’t backing him. If Saransh Jain replaces Kuldeep in the next match, then considering they didn’t back Kuldeep even after a win, when exactly will they back him?”
Ravichandran Ashwin, Ash Ki Baat, August 2026
The statement landed hours after India’s 165-run victory in the Galle Test, their 600th in the format. India won. Kuldeep did not contribute to the win. And with the 2nd Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo starting August 23, the selection call Ashwin is challenging could come within days.
Kuldeep returned figures of 1/65 in 14 overs and 0/38 in 11 overs across both innings in Galle. The Tribune described him as “quite flat, failing to get much out of an abrasive deck.” Sri Lankan batters swept him freely and attacked his variations with confidence.
Manav Suthar, the 24-year-old left-arm spinner, took 10 wickets in the same match, his second successive five-wicket haul in Tests after his debut against Afghanistan. Ravindra Jadeja was described as “easily the best Indian spinner on the day.” The gap between Kuldeep and his fellow spinners was not close.
| Bowler | 1st Innings | 2nd Innings | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manav Suthar | 4 wickets | 6/55 | 10 wickets |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 1/65 (14 overs) | 0/38 (11 overs) | 1 wicket |
🚨Ashwin on Kuldeep Yadav performance.
“The captain and team management do not trust Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling,
they aren’t backing him. If Saransh Jain replaces Kuldeep in the next match, then considering they didn’t back Kuldeep even after a win ,when exactly will they back… pic.twitter.com/f3lO8j6qPc— Indian Cricket 🏏 (@Indiancric1cm) August 19, 2026
The Galle statement is not isolated. Ashwin has been building this case since mid-July, each comment sharper than the last.
On July 15, after India’s ODI win at Edgbaston where Kuldeep was overlooked in favour of finger-spinning all-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, Ashwin said on his YouTube channel: “This management hasn’t backed Kuldeep enough. They should back him more because he is a match-winner.”
Four days later, during the 3rd ODI at Lord’s, Kuldeep was again benched despite Bumrah being ruled out and Sundar sidelined with a hamstring injury. Ashwin posted on X: “Trust me, this can affect the rhythm and confidence of a bowler.”
By July 20, after India lost the ODI series to England, Ashwin’s tone had changed from concern to confrontation.
“If they are not showing confidence in him, what is the point of Kuldeep Yadav continuing? What is the direction forward for Kuldeep Yadav?”
Ravichandran Ashwin, Ash Ki Baat, July 20, 2026
Two days later, he went further: “The team doesn’t need a batter at number eight. You want to have strength in your bowling after Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out. It means the player doesn’t enjoy the team management’s trust.”
Five statements in five weeks. The trajectory is clear: from “back him more” to “they don’t trust him” to “what is the point of continuing.”
The Saransh Jain Question
Saransh Jain, a 33-year-old off-spinner from Madhya Pradesh, earned his maiden India call-up for the Sri Lanka tour. He bowls wide off the crease and attacks the stumps. India’s spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said before the series that all four spinners, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Suthar, and Jain, had “that uniqueness,” and the final combination would be decided at the ground.
Ashwin himself praised Jain on July 29: “I am very happy for him. He bowls wide off the crease. He attacks. He is a different type of off-spinner. His job is to take wickets. He has it in him.”
The tension in Ashwin’s position is deliberate. He backs Jain’s ability but rejects the idea that Jain should replace Kuldeep. In Ashwin’s framing, adding Jain to the squad is fine. Dropping Kuldeep after a series win to make room for him is a statement about trust.
Kuldeep’s Test record supports the argument. In 13 Tests before Galle, he had taken 65 wickets at 22.16 with four five-wicket hauls. His previous Test in Sri Lanka produced 9 wickets at an average of 19.20. Under the Dravid-Rohit setup, Kuldeep delivered match-winning performances consistently. That is the comparison Ashwin keeps drawing.
“When the last team management was around with Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma, Kuldeep was well backed, and everyone saw the proof in the pudding as he was delivering match-winning performances,” Ashwin said. “But again, in the last 18 months, Kuldeep finds himself with a lot of question marks.”
The implication is pointed. Two different managements, two different approaches to the same player. One backed him and got results. The other, in Ashwin’s reading, has treated him as disposable.
Insider Read
Ashwin is not speaking as a commentator. He spent over a decade as India’s lead spinner, navigating rotation policies, selection politics, and the constant tension between wrist spin and finger spin in Indian cricket. He knows what it feels like when the captain underbowls you or the management picks an all-rounder in your place. That is exactly what he sees happening to Kuldeep.
The difference between a commentator saying “Kuldeep deserves more chances” and Ashwin saying “the player doesn’t enjoy the team management’s trust” is experience. Ashwin watched Kuldeep’s confidence build under one regime and erode under another. He has identified not just the pattern but the cause: a management that values batting depth over specialist spin, even when the match situation demands the opposite.
Kuldeep turns 32 in December. The 2027 World Cup is 11 months away. The Colombo Test on August 23 is not just another match for him. It is either a signal that the management is willing to persist through a bad game, or confirmation of everything Ashwin has been saying since July.
Also Read:
Gambhir’s Decision to Snub Kuldeep at Lord’s
Manav Suthar’s Match-Winning Spell in Galle
