"If you don't address this, it will keep getting bigger" - R Ashwin criticises one aspect of India's performance in NZ vs IND 2026 T20Is

Spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin criticised the Indian team for their bowling performance throughout the T20I series against New Zealand. While they won the five-match series 3-2, the bowling has emerged as a major cause for concern.

The Indian bowlers conceded close to 200 or more thrice and even failed to defend. While Ashwin acknowledged the fact that it is mostly a new-look bowling unit, he questioned the planning and preparation. He reckoned there were many basic errors and called for introspection before it got too late.

"It is a big concern. Look at how many times we have conceded over 200 runs. Especially in the last few games. I am praising the team. But you need to look into the bowling before it gets worse. There are new guys in the bowling lineup. But what I am finding difficult to understand is what planning do they have? What are the talks in the meetings? If you don't address this, it will keep getting bigger. So I am concerned. There were some basic errors," he said on 'Ash ki Baat'.

Ashwin praised the batters for doing well throughout the series. He particularly felt that Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Tilak Varma were big positives down the order. However, he called the team out for poor planning and execution with the ball.

"Abhishek played a stunning innings. Sanju had one good innings. Vaibhav, Ishan, Tilak, all this is expected. For me, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tilak Varma, and Naman Dhir were the positives. What they did is something we can carry forward. India definitely have to work on T20 bowling without Bumrah. Forget about the skills. Planning and execution were very average."

The Men in Blue have struggled in T20Is in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Except for Arshdeep Singh to an extent, the other bowlers have failed to pick up wickets regularly.

R Ashwin on thin margins despite India's series win

While India won the series 3-2, Ravichandran Ashwin pointed out that they could have lost the series as well. He highlighted how they managed to chase 225 in the first T20I and 181 in the second game after being reduced to 70/5 at one stage.

Therefore, he reckoned that it could not be ignored that, despite India having technically won the series, they were helped by New Zealand's poor fielding and catching.

"India could have lost the first game after conceding 225. In the second game, they also came back from an unbelievable situation. So there was a very thin line. We could have actually lost 4-1. New Zealand dropped 16 catches. I want the team to go for excellence. If you want to push it under the carpet and say we won 3-2, great," he said.

The action will now shift to ODIs. The five-match series will begin on Wednesday, November 4, in Auckland.

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