Ashish Ranjan
Pat Cummins’ Australia defeated Team India by 209 runs in the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 at The Oval in London. The exclusion of veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin left many supporters and members of the cricketing community bewildered following the defeat.
Similarly, former India women’s captain Anjum Chopra was disappointed that Ashwin was not included in the playing XI for the crucial match. Anjum emphasized that the spinner cannot be benched, particularly in a high-pressure match, regardless of the circumstances.
“Absolutely! I unquestionably sensed that. In fact, Ashwin (Ravichandran) was in my playing XI. I’m not saying you can’t play four pacers, it’s nothing of the sort, but I always believed that, regardless of the conditions, if India had lost the toss and we had been asked to bat, we would have struggled to think, “Oh! Now what do we do?’ Anjum told News18, “I’m fairly certain that the team’s administration deliberated over the decision.”
“As a player, I would have always retained Ashwin in that lineup because I believe he is a quality bowler who can perform regardless of the conditions. And he is unquestionably alone, considering his skill level and the Indian team’s records with him in the starting XI,” she added.
Taking into account the pitch at The Oval in the lone Test for the coveted mace, India’s brain trust decided to go with four specialist pacers (Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, and Shardul Thakur) and one spinner (Ravi Jadeja).
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Ashwin is India’s leading wicket-taker against Australia in Tests, having taken 114 wickets in 22 matches, including seven five-wicket hauls, three four-fors, and one ten-wicket haul. The off-spinner is also ranked first in Test bowling by the ICC. In July, India will travel to the West Indies for a multi-format series after a month-long hiatus.
