Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the highest-ranked Indian all-rounders in the ICC Test Rankings. Still, he failed to earn a place in the Indian playing XI for the first Test match against the English side. Every cricket fan would know that the India vs England Test series began on August 4 at Trent Bridge, where the home team won the toss and elected to bat first.
India played the ICC World Test Championship Final in the United Kingdom back in June. In that match, Team India had included both Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in their playing XI. However, both all-rounders were not used as per their potential in the bowling department. It seems like the Indian team management has thus decided to go in with only a solitary spinner for the first Test against England.
Another reason that could have led to Ravichandran Ashwin’s exclusion is that the England batting lineup does not have many left-handed batsmen. If one takes a closer look at the English lineup, most of their top-order and middle order batsmen are right-handed batsman.
It has become a general perception now in cricket that left-arm spinners bowl well against the right-handed batsmen and vice-versa. Hence, this could be another reason behind Ravichandran Ashwin’s absence in the playing XI of the Indian cricket team at Trent Bridge.
Ravichandran Ashwin is absent but Team India make a bright start in Nottingham
Although Ravichandran Ashwin is not a part of the Indian playing XI for the ongoing Test match against the England cricket team, the visitors have made a solid start to the Test match. Jasprit Bumrah has dismissed Rory Burns and given India the early momentum.
It will be interesting to see if the Indian cricket team can continue in the same vein and manage a win against the England cricket team in this Test match at Trent Bridge.
