India will next take on Australia in Adelaide on October 23.
The Australia vs India ODI series opener witnessed an one-sided game play in Perth as the hosts registered a comfortable seven-wicket victory in a rain-affected clash to secure an early 1-0 lead. The Indian fans were eagerly waiting for this fixture to see the star pair of former captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma back in action in international cricket, since the Champions Trophy 2025 Final in March.
But their excitement around the match soon turned into disappointment after a miserable all-round show from the Indian unit. Following the abysmal turnarounds, former Indian player Ravichandran Ashwin has critisised the visitors’ playing XI choices.
The visitors had included Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in their combination alongside debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy in the first fixture. However, though Axar continued his economical spells to concede just 19 runs and scalp a wicket after scoring a crucial 31 runs, Sundar dismissed the Aussie gloveman Josh Philippe while leaking runs at an expensive rate of 7.00 in his two overs.
Earlier, he also managed to contribute only 10 runs in India’s sub-par total of just 136/9 in the first innings (in 26 overs). This led the former Indian spinner to elaborate on how opting for an extra batting option in the lineup is weakening the team’s bowling strength. Specifically, on Australian soil, where the hard and bouncy pitches often do not provide much help to the finger spinners.
“I can understand why they’re playing two spinners in the game along with Nitish Reddy. They want the batting depth because both Washington and Axar can bat. But at least give some attention to the bowling too,” opined Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin emphasised that bringing in the chinaman bowler into the attack would also increase the variations to create more dismissal chances. Moreover, the spinner is coming on the back of a scorching-hot form after back-to-back stunning outings in the Asia Cup 2025 and the latest two-Test home series against the West Indies.
“On these big grounds, if Kuldeep can’t bowl with a lot of freedom, where will he bowl then? And there’s going to be over spin which will help him get bounce as well. Play your best bowlers. Don’t pick a team just to extend your batting,” he added.
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The former Indian player, Akash Chopra, also opined the same while discussing the Men in Blue’s starting XI weaknesses at the Optus Stadium. He believes that the absence of the 30-year-old surely weakens India’s bowling strength, and the visitors should figure that out as early as possible while progressing further into the eight-match white-ball series down under.
“We are playing Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. Don’t we need a wrist spinner? India will have to think about a wrist spinner. Otherwise, with this bowling line-up, it would be difficult to pick up wickets,” noted the former batter.
However, following a 3-0 clean sweep against England at home and an unbeaten winning run in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the last saw India’s maiden 50-over defeat in 2025. But the visitors would look to bounce back swiftly in the second match in Adelaide on October 23 to keep the series hopes alive.
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