Ravichandran Ashwin did not get a chance to play a single match in the five-game series against England
Reflexes
- Ravichandran Ashwin recorded 442 wickets in Test cricket
- Ashwin is the second highest Test wicket taker for India
- Ashwin has also scored 5 centuries and 12 half centuries in Test cricket.
Ravichandran Ashwin is the Indian bowler who has taken the most wickets in Test cricket after Anil Kumble. Despite scoring 2931 runs in just 86 Test matches with 442 wickets and 5 centuries, his place in the Test team is not stable. Yes, we can say that he is not stable at all. He waited his turn in all four Test Matches he contested against England last year. It was expected that during the tenure of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, he would not get a place, perhaps Ashwin would play the test match for Birmingham under the leadership of Rahul Dravid, but it did not happen.
After all, what remains to be the enemy of a veteran player like Ashwin’s place in Team India’s 11th game? Why the best spinner in Team India is currently not getting a spot on the team. Cricket experts have different opinions on the matter. Some say that Ravindra Jadeja gives a better balance to the team with his hitting, while others say that both Ashwin and Jadeja can be more lethal in the company. After this the question arises…
Team balance or England condition, what became Ashwin’s enemy?
Ravichandran Ashwin has taken 87 test wickets against England. However, he did not get a chance in the England series in the last four Test matches. Another special thing, if you look at the Birmingham Test then Ben Stokes is the captain of this England team and Ashwin has also sacked him 11 times in Test cricket. At the same time, English spinner Moeen Ali also believed that the pairing of Ashwin and Jadeja could prove more deadly at Edgbaston. Former England captain Michael Vaughan also raised questions about not feeding Ashwin.
In such a situation, I do not understand who is right and who is wrong. The last four matches of the series were played by India under the captaincy of Virat Kohli and under the guidance of head coach Ravi Shastri. Many questions were raised about this pair not feeding Ashwin. Rahul Dravid was now expected to do something new, but Jasprit Bumrah, who was named captain in Rohit Sharma’s absence, also expressed more confidence in Shardul Thakur as the fourth fast pitcher, not Ashwin. The reason behind this was the condition of England or the balance of the team, only the captain and manager can tell.
Top 5 Contestants in the Indian Wicket Test
- Anil Kumble – 619 wickets (132 games)
- Ravichandran Ashwin – 442 wickets (86 games)
- Kapil Dev – 434 wickets (131 caps)
- Harbhajan Singh – 417 wickets (103 caps)
- Ishant Sharma – 311 wickets (105 caps)
Ashwin’s track record is excellent.
His batting is said to give importance to Ravindra Jadeja over Ravichandran Ashwin. While Jadeja has scored 3 Test centuries in 60 matches and Ashwin has also scored 5 Test centuries in 86 matches. In terms of wickets, Ashwin is 200 wickets ahead of 442 Ravindra Jadeja 242. So the records are no less than Ashwin anywhere. In such a situation, one answer is that both the balance of the team and the condition of England are becoming an obstacle in Ashwin’s way somewhere. Perhaps the captain wanted to go to England with four fast bowlers when Shardul Thakur was playing at Edgbaston due to the balance of the team and Ashwin left.
