Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth called on batting all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy to be dropped from the playing XI after the side's series-ending defeat to Australia in the second ODI in Adelaide. The youngster endured a dismal outing with bat and ball, scoring a 10-ball eight and conceding 24 runs off his three overs.With India prioritizing batting depth, Kuldeep was excluded from the first two outings, while Nitish played both games, his first in ODIsTalking about the playing combination after India's loss in Adelaide, Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel (26:01):"Kuldeep has to play. I am not sure if they'll drop Nitish Kumar Reddy or someone else. Nitish Kumar Reddy can't play with this inept bowling. It'll get smashed. Batting he is capable of hitting sixes but he comes in the end with limited deliveries left."He added:"If needed, have Harshit Rana at 8 and Kuldeep at 9. The way Harshit batted today, I liked it. I was convinced with his batting and the way he approached his batting. So do it this way and drop Nitish Reddy. You can't drop Harshit Rana now as he picked up two wickets as well. So drop Nitish Reddy and play Kuldeep Yadav."Nitish did not look the part with the ball on his ODI debut in the series opener, going wicketless at an economy rate of almost eight in his 2.1 overs."If Kuldeep had played, India would have surely won" - Kris SrikkanthKris Srikkanth believes Team India would have won the Adelaide clash if Kuldeep Yadav was part of the playing XI, thanks to Australia's frailties against spin. The two Indian spinners, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel, combined for excellent figures of 3/89 in 17 overs in India's bowling innings."If Kuldeep had played, India would have surely won today. They were clueless against spin. India had a brilliant chance even when Australia were 187/5. That's where they made the mistake of not continuing with Washington Sundar and Axar Patel. Even if they get hit, they'll get you wickets. I don't understand the logic behind not playing Kuldeep Yadav at all," said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).Kuldeep played a pivotal role in India's Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year and has been in sensational form overall with the ball. The veteran spinner was the leading wicket-taker in their recent victorious 2025 Asia Cup campaign with 17 scalps.