Shashi Tharoor questioned Kuldeep Yadav’s non-selection for 2nd ODI© AFP
In the fast-paced world of social media, it’s easy to get facts wrong. That is what happened with Congress politician Shashi Tharoor as he looked to join the critics’ bandwagon with a hard-hitting opinion on the Indian cricket team’s Playing XI selection for the second ODI against Australia. Tharoor took to X (formerly Twitter) to lambast the Indian selectors for sidelining spinner Kuldeep Yadav. However, his tweet quickly turned into a viral faux pas because of a glaring error in judgement. Tharoor’s post criticising Team India’s Playing XI selection displayed his lack of understanding of cricket, as he seemed to have confused Australian pacer Xavier Bartlett for a spinner.
Tharoor posted on X: “So Xavier Bartlett took just four balls to show the Indian selectors the idiocy of their decision to leave out the most potent match-winner in their squad, @imkuldeep18, in favour of a journeyman pacer like Rana. It was wrong to omit Kuldeep in England & it is absurd not to pick him in Adelaide. Awful! #IndianCricket #IndvAus #KuldeepYadav”.
So Xavier Bartlett took just four balls to show the Indian selectors the idiocy of their decision to leave out the most potent match-winner in their squad, @imkuldeep18, in favour of a journeyman pacer like Rana. It was wrong to omit Kuldeep in England & it is absurd not to pick…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 23, 2025
At first glance, the tweet seems like a standard critique of team selection, highlighting the exclusion of Kuldeep, a left-arm wrist-spinner, in favour of a fast bowler like Harshit Rana, whose selection has been widely criticised by fans on the internet.
The post came after Bartlett removed India captain Shubman Gill and icon Virat Kohli in the same over. Referring to Bartlett’s brilliance, Tharoor questioned India’s decision to snub a spinner like Kuldeep in favour of a pacer like Harshit.
Reacting to the post by the Congress MP, fans were quick to point out that Bartlett is not a spinner. He’s an Australian fast bowler, known for his seam and swing rather than turn and flight.
Tharoor’s post quickly went viral and became the reason for his own trolling on social media.
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