02 July,2022 07:54 AM IST | Birmingham | Santosh Suri
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is arguably the best spinner in India right now. Yet, he finds himself on the bench during the Birmingham Test, just like he was in the four Test matches against England last year.
There was a lot of criticism from fans directed at skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri. But the situation has not changed much for Ashwin even under the new dispensation. New coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Jasprit Bumrah took exactly the same line that Kohli-Shastri duo had taken last year. There is no doubt the weather conditions predicted during the fifth Test dictated the decision, as the team think-tank thought it would be more prudent to play four fast bowlers, instead of three pacers and two spinners.
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After having come under tremendous criticism last year for dropping Ashwin in all four games, of which India won two and lost one, Shastri, while commentating on Sky Sports TV channel said, "I as coach and Virat as captain faced a similar dilemma. Ashwin was always in our scheme of things, but the conditions dictated the selection. It would either turn overcast on match morning like it was today, or the pitch would be favourable for pacers. Under such circumstances, we were left with no other option but to play a fourth seamer in place of Ashwin."
However, other experts believe that irrespective of the pitch and weather conditions, a team should pick their five best bowlers, irrespective of being seamers or spinners. Of course, this is a traditional theory that has long been thrown out the window by the current set of coaches Even the Indians prefer to play four seamers and just one spinner overseas, and this strategy has paid dividends on numerous occasions. There is no doubt that the cricket fans' hearts will go out to Ashwin, a sincere cricketer and a hardcore team man. He would surely be frustrated and disappointed.
