India vs England: L Sivaramakrishnan feels 'really sorry' for R Ashwin, but expects visitors to stick with current combination
India vs England: L Sivaramakrishnan feels 'really sorry' for R Ashwin, but expects visitors to stick with current combination
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Ravichandran Ashwin might feel a little hard done by after being left out of the of the Indian XI in the first two Tests in the ongoing series against England. And with Virat Kohli and company going 1-0 up in the series with four pacers and Ravindra Jadeja as the lone spinner, Ashwin's chances of making his way into the winning combination look even more uncertain as the third Test at the Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds approaches.
The senior off-spinner, one of the most successful bowlers in the current generation, has made a case for his selection across formats given his ability not just to perform on home soil, but across conditions, as his performances with the ball in the tour of Australia would indicate. That, in addition to him adding variety to his bowling in recent years, his handy skills with the bat, a steely mind that knows how to survive in pressure-cooker situations as well as his recent experience in the County Championship would make one think he would have got a chance in the series by now, or at least be in consideration at some point.
Cricketer-turned-commentator Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, a spinner himself during his days as an active player in the 1980s and 1990s, couldn't help but "feel sorry" for Ashwin's exclusion from the XI in the first two games of the five-match rubber, but felt it would be difficult for the team management to deviate from a winning combination as well as offered reasons as to why left-arm orthodox bowler Jadeja, who's played both matches so far as the lone spinner, would be picked ahead of Ashwin in these conditions.
"I feel really sorry for Ashwin because being in that position and being left out of the side is a hard thing to digest. But I think he’s taking it pretty well, and also in a way he’s not being played in England and overbowled," said the former leg-spinner in a virtual interaction with journalists organised by the official broadcasters Sony Sports Network.
"Getting wickets in Test match cricket is totally different. It’s like Ranji Trophy and Test match cricket, if you compare County and Test cricket. And I’m sure Ashwin with his intelligence will understand what he needs to do to get into the team. There’s plenty of cricket coming ahead. Even in India, we’re going to be playing a lot of matches. So I think Ashwin would be definite part of the team once they decide to go in with two spinners," added Sivaramakrishnan.
Sivaramakrishnan, who represented India in 9 Tests and 16 ODIs for a total of 41 international wickets between 1983 and 1987, also offered his reasons as to why Jadeja would pip Ashwin to the lone spin-bowling all-rounder's spot in the current combination.
"Jadeja in the recent past has improved leaps and bounds in the batting department and he’s also a brilliant fielder. And when you bowl in conditions in England where the ball doesn’t turn so much, there is only one place for a spinning all-rounder.
"Both Ashwin and Jadeja are spinning all-rounders, but the spinner’s role in overseas condition is to keep it tight, because ball is not going to turn so much, and Ashwin being an attacking bowler, Ashwin likes to bowl for wickets.
"Whereas Jadeja is a bowler who likes to keep it tight. He also gets the overs in quickly. People forget, in the World Test Championship, if you’re overs short, you lose points. So Jadeja would be ideal to come and bowl 10-12 overs in a day, keep it tight and make sure the over rate is fine," added Sivaramakrishnan.
He, however, does expect a change in the pace battery in the upcoming Test, which starts Wednesday, 25 August up north at Headingley, Leeds, where India haven't played a Test since their famous victory in 2002.
Shardul Thakur, who played ahead of Ishant Sharma at Nottingham before missing out at Lord's after suffering a hamstring injury in the build-up to the match, is fit and expected to be match-ready for the third Test. Given his ability to swing the ball a lot more and contribute valuable runs down the order, as Indian fans witnessed in the historic Gabba win earlier this year, Sivaramakrishnan expects the Chennai Super Kings bowling all-rounder to get the go-ahead.
"My guess, if the first match Shardul had played ahead of Ishant, and if Shardul is fit, then he’s likely to come back because Headingley will help the swing bowlers a lot more. Ishant is more of a hit-the-deck bowler, he bowls back-of-a-length, whereas Shardul Thakur bowls a much fuller length, very similar to Siraj.
"When there is competition, it is always very, very good. Eventually what needs to happen is India needs to win. So the combination that can get you a victory is the one that is going to be played," added Siva, who is currently serving as a Tamil commentator for Sony Sports Network for the ongoing series.
India currently are 1-0 up in the series thanks to a 151-run victory of the Joe Root-led hosts in the second Test at Lord's, a game that saw England start with their noses ahead on the final day only for a spectacular partnership between Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah to help set a challenging 272-run target, followed by a superb collective effort from the pace unit to dismiss England for a lowly 120 inside two sessions.
In the previous Test that took place at Trent Bridge, India grabbed a 95-run first innings lead, and found themselves in a favourable position of 52/1 after being set 209 to win, before the fickle English weather played spoilsport again as the entire fifth day got washed out to result in the two teams sharing points.
Watch England vs India - 3rd Test - LIVE from 3.30 pm IST on SONY SIX (English), SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels from August 25, 2021
