“We have got four seamers and one spinner and that is Ravindra Jadeja,” India skipper Rohit Sharma told former England skipper Nasser Hussain after winning the toss and opting to field at the Oval on Wednesday. He was then asked by Hussain to justify the call and was asked how tough it was to leave a bowler of R Ashwin‘s quality out.The off-spinner, incidentally, missed his sixth Test in England in a row.
“It’s always tough. He has been a match-winner for us, over the course of many years. So, leaving him out was tough. But you got to do the things that are needed for the team. So eventually we came up with that decision,” Rohit said. He also tried to justify the call by talking about the conditions – read a well-grassed pitch which was a bit dry underneath, as observed by the commentators, and some grey skies at least to start with.
Ashwin’s name was soon trending on social media, with comments of former players and his records to prove whether the call was right or wrong. Former Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting was vehement about the fact that India had erred by dropping the No. 1-ranked Test bowler and their most successful bowler in the 2021-23 WTC cycle, with 61 scalps from 13 Tests.
As the sun came out and batting became easier, Ponting’s words resonated louder. “India have made a mistake of picking a bowling attack just for the first innings of the game. Australia have many left-handers. Ashwin will trouble the left-handers more than Jadeja. I saw the grass on the pitch. Yes, there was grass, but the deeper I looked, it seemed dry to me,” he said during his commentary stint.
India’s team combination had become as big a talking point as the pitch for the contest much before the game. The errors they made in the last WTC final in Southampton vs New Zealand in 2021 by picking two spinners in damp conditions were highlighted ad nauseum. However, a 4-1 combination outside the subcontinent, with Jadeja being preferred as the sole spinner because of his improved batting, has worked for India.
The team management, who rely a lot on data, would have also looked at the fact that Oval had not hosted a Test in June. Hosts Surrey, who have played three county games this season at the venue, not picking a spinner in any of those games, would have also been noticed.
Ashwin was spotted sitting outside the change room with the support staff, sporting sunglasses that probably hid a tear or two. The 36-year-old carrying drinks and passing on advice to the bowlers during the break, though, gave the impression that he may have made peace with the fact that potentially his last chance for another duel with an adversary that has defined his career is gone.
India’s next Test engagement vs Australia won’t happen till December 2024, and one wonders whether Ashwin will be around by then.
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