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‘Bizarre!’ Ashwin questions Gautam Gambhir-led management’s handling of Kuldeep Yadav | Cricket News

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‘Bizarre!’ Ashwin questions Gautam Gambhir-led management's handling of Kuldeep Yadav
India’s Kuldeep Yadav (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the way Kuldeep Yadav has been managed in recent months, describing the left-arm wrist-spinner’s situation as “bizarre” and contrasting it with the backing he received under the previous team management.Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Ashwin pointed to the difference in approach between the leadership group of Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma and the current setup led by Gautam Gambhir. He argued that Kuldeep had thrived when he was given a consistent run in the side and had repeatedly delivered match-winning performances.During Dravid’s tenure as head coach from November 2021 to June 2024, with Rohit leading the side across formats for much of that period, Kuldeep featured in six Tests, 38 ODIs and 17 T20Is. Since Gambhir’s appointment, the spinner has played six Tests, 17 ODIs and 14 T20Is.Despite remaining in the mix across formats, Kuldeep has endured a frustrating period. He played just one match during India’s triumphant 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, with Varun Chakaravarthy preferred ahead of him. More recently, he was left out of the squads for the upcoming T20I tours of England and Ireland, where Ravi Bishnoi was selected instead.“The way Kuldeep Yadav has been handled is bizarre,” Ashwin said on ESPNcricinfo. “Kuldeep, when the last team management was around with Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma, he was well backed, and everyone saw the proof in the pudding as he was delivering match-winning performances. But again in the last 18 months, Kuldeep finds himself with a lot of question marks.”Ashwin acknowledged that Kuldeep’s IPL 2026 campaign did little to strengthen his case. The spinner managed only 10 wickets and conceded runs at a career-worst economy rate of 10.30. However, he has retained his place in India’s Test setup and was selected for the ongoing one-off Test against Afghanistan.The veteran spinner believes Kuldeep now needs to fully embrace the red-ball format and use Test cricket as a platform to cement his position.“Test cricket must now be his priority, and he must take it on,” Ashwin said.Ashwin also weighed in on Ravi Bishnoi’s return to the T20I squad. The leg-spinner had been part of India’s plans before the 2026 T20 World Cup and featured in the series against New Zealand leading into the tournament. However, his recall has raised eyebrows given his own modest IPL campaign.Bishnoi played only nine matches for Rajasthan Royals during IPL 2026, taking 11 wickets at an economy rate of 9.88 before eventually losing his place in the playing XI.Ashwin reflected on how quickly fortunes can change in international cricket. He recalled that Bishnoi himself was dropped in favour of Kuldeep in December 2023 despite being ranked as the world’s No.1 T20I bowler at the time. Over the following year, Bishnoi gradually slipped down the pecking order as Varun Chakaravarthy’s rise and Axar Patel’s all-round value reshaped India’s spin options.“So what goes around comes around. He didn’t have a great IPL, and on the back of not playing the back half of the IPL, he is back in the T20 setup. These are circular calls in many ways. But version 2.0 of Ravi Bishnoi needs to turn up because he misses his length way too much now than he must, and he must rediscover his mojo,” said Ashwin.Ashwin’s comments highlight the intense competition among India’s spin bowlers, with Kuldeep and Bishnoi both finding themselves on opposite sides of selection calls at different stages of their careers. While Kuldeep looks to re-establish himself through Test cricket, Bishnoi now has another opportunity to prove his worth in the shortest format.

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Alexander Zverev vs Flavio Cobolli LIVE Score, French Open 2026 Final: Zverev Breaks Cobolli, Leads 1-0 In First Set

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Alexander Zverev vs Flavio Cobolli Final LIVE Updates, French Open 2026 Men’s Singles: Alexander Zverev vs Flavio Cobolli French Open men’s singles final has begun at the Roland Garros Stadium. Second-seed Zverev aims to win an elusive Grand Slam title as he takes on tenth-seeded Cobolli, who is playing his first-ever major final. While the Italian tennis player faces an uphill task, Zverev, who is playing his fourth Grand Slam final in pursuit of a maiden title, will be keen to use his experience and put pressure on his opponent.

Here are the Live Score and Updates of French Open 2026 men’s singles final between Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli:

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Christmas Day & Ronan Whelan Win Betfred Derby at Epsom

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Christmas Day came early for jockey Ronan Whelan as he won his first Betfred Derby at Epsom on Saturday afternoon.

A son of Coolmore stallion Camelot, Christmas Day (7/1) was a two-and-three-quarter length winner over the Tom Marquand-ridden Maltese Cross (12/1).

James J Braddock, the mount of Dylan Browne McMonagle, took third for trainer Joseph O’Brien, two-and-a-half lengths behind the William Haggas-handled runner-up.

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The victory of Christmas Day, in the Coolmore colours, was a 12th win in the race for Aidan O’Brien, who becomes the first trainer to win the race four years in-a-row following the successes of Lambourn (2025), City Of Troy (2024) and Auguste Rodin (2023).

It is also a 50th British classic win for the County Wexford-born handler – his first coming with King Of Kings in the 1998 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

The pre-race favourite Benvenuto Cellini, the mount of Ryan Moore, was declared a non-runner after a stewards’ inquiry post-race. The son of Frankel had one leg caught on a bar in the stalls as the race began. As a result, stewards deemed that he was denied a chance of winning and declared him a non-runner.

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Top 5 expert reactions to Suryakumar Yadav being sacked as captain ahead of Ireland and England 2026 T20Is

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In a massive decision, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sacked Suryakumar Yadav as T20I captain ahead of the tour of Ireland and England. He was also dropped from the T20I squad that was picked on Saturday, June 6 for the tour of Ireland and England. Shreyas Iyer was named as the new Team India skipper in T20Is, while Tilak Varma was picked as his deputy.

Earlier this year, Suryakumar led India to victory in the T20 World Cup played at home. However, his form with the bat was scratchy as he managed just one half-century in the ICC event. The 35-year-old also struggled for runs while representing Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2026.

There have been mixed reactions over the decision to sack Suryakumar as T20I captain. In this feature, we take a look at top five expert reactions to the move.


#1 Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that, apart from batting form, Suryakumar’s fitness also played a role in him being dropped from the Indian T20I side. He opined that the 35-year-old could have worked a bit harder on his fitness. Speaking on Sony Sports, Manjrekar said:

“Surya losing form at his age made me wonder if he will have a second wind in T20s and become the player he was three to four years back. He’s not a 25 or 30-year-old. And as it panned out, with T20 being a hand-eye coordination game, you need to be supremely fit or young to have the kind of reflexes to meet bat on ball. Age not being on his side and plus, if he could have worked on his fitness a lot more, maybe things would have been slightly different.”

Suryakumar scored 270 runs in 13 innings during MI’s IPL 2026 campaign, averaging 20.76 at a strike rate of 147.54, with two half-centuries.


#2 Ravichandran Ashwin

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin questioned the selectors over their decision to sack Suryakumar as T20I captain. Admitting that the MI star’s form has been a concern, he opined that T20 World Cup-winning skipper should have been given a chance to prove himself in the England series. During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Ashwin said:

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“Is there a possibility that they could have given Surya a bit more time? And if you feel he’s not walking into your XI, (take the call). Could he have been given that big England series to ask himself to be proving once again as a batter that he belongs in that place? I just think he deserved that after having accomplished such a huge feat in his career.”

In nine innings in T20 World Cup 2026, Suryakumar scored 242 runs at an average of 30.25 and a strike rate of 136.72, with a solitary half-century.


#3 Subramaniam Badrinath

Former India batter Subramaniam Badrinath expressed surprise at the selectors’ decision to sack Suryakumar as T20I captain even though he had led India to World Cup glory. Pointing out that something similar had happened with Rohit Sharma after the Champions Trophy, Badrinath said on (his YouTube channel):

“It’s definitely the end of the road for Suryakumar Yadav. We won’t see him in international cricket anymore. His winning percentage as a T20I captain is extremely high. Yet, these selectors have easily thrown him out. The same thing happened to Rohit Sharma after winning the Champions Trophy. There is a certain ruthlessness in the current team management.”

Rohit led India to victory in the 2025 Champions Trophy in the UAE. However, he was subsequently sacked as one-day captain and replaced by Shubman Gill.


#4 Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has questioned the manner of Suryakumar’s sacking as T20I captain. According to Chopra, having won the T20 World Cup, the 35-year-old could have been given a farewell series by the selectors. The former India batter commented:

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“The last image you’ll have is him holding the World Cup trophy. World Cup trophy and then he gets dropped from the team. That doesn’t happen, man. That usually doesn’t happen. What I believed was that he should have been given an ‘off-ramp’ like telling him, ‘these are your last two series, play them, we’re making you captain. After this, it’s goodbye.’ If you don’t say goodbye, then we will drop you and that would have been the fair thing to do.”

Having made a belated T20I debut in 2021, Suryakumar has featured in 113 matches and has scored 3,272 runs at an average of 36.35 and a strike rate of 162.94, with four hundreds and 25 half-centuries.


#5 Sadagopan Ramesh

Former India opener Sadagopan Ramesh stated that Suryakumar should not be too surprised or disappointed over being removed as T20I captain. Ramesh pointed out that the 35-year-old has been struggling with the willow for a couple of seasons now and opined that the time had come to move on from him. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ramesh said:

“Though dropping a captain immediately after he led the side to a World Cup win is surprising, it’s a transition that Surya himself will be able to accept. Yes, he will be disappointed inside. But I feel this move would have been communicated to him weeks after the T20 World Cup itself.”

Suryakumar captained India in 52 T20Is, winning 40 and losing just eight. Two matches ended in a tie, while two produced no result. He ended his captaincy stint with a win percentage of 76.92.