Ravichandran Ashwin wants India spinner to 'experiment' more after struggles in NZ ODI series

Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin feels that Kuldeep Yadav needs to experiment more with his bowling following his poor performance in the ODI series against New Zealand. The left-arm spinner was able to clinch just three wickets in as many games and even game away 82 runs in his quota of 10 overs overs in the second ODI.

Mitchell dominated Kuldeep

Kuldeep was targeted by the Kiwi batters, but especially Daryl Mitchell who had a series to remember. He registered a fifty and two consecutive hundreds, playing a massive role in the side's 2-1 victory in the three-match assignment.

Ashwin believes that Kuldeep's confidence took a major hit in the series as the batters totally dominated against him and disrupted his rhythm. He further urged the latter to use more variations and identify the opposing batter's weakness.

“New Zealand batters took the proactive approach against the Indian spinners by taking them on immediately. Kuldeep Yadav is one of the finest bowlers. He has all the tools. But before the T20 World Cup, his confidence would have come down a bit," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“My only submission to Kuldeep Yadav would be asking him to experiment a little more. When a batter is batting as well as Daryl Mitchell is against you, and wickets aren’t falling, we have to make the play. His wagon wheel will show you no runs on the offside because of a closed bottom hand. I am concerned that Kuldeep didn’t do this in all three ODIs,” he added.

NZ batters neutralize India's spinners

Indian spinners Kuldeep and Ravindra Jadeja struggled massively during the series against New Zealand and were torn apart by their batters in all the three matches. On the other hand, left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox surprisingly proved to be a plus-point for the Kiwis, scalping three wickets in two games and maintaining a decent economy-rate as well. This was Lennox's first-ever international assignment and it is safe to say that he ended up making quite a strong impression.

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Meanwhile, India will now be gearingg up for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting from January 21. This will be the Men in Blue's final assignment before the 2026 T20 World Cup and they will certainly be aiming to head into the tournament on a positive note.