For a few days now, one was expecting Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, both to play in the 1st IND vs AUS Test in Perth. But now, as per a report in Indian Express, Team India has some other weird plans. The team management has decided to field R Ashwin as the lone spinner in the playing XI, leaving out Jaddu and Washi.
No Washington Sundar & Ravindra Jadeja
The reason for that decision, as per the report, is the possibility of three left-handers in the Aussie XI. The pitch anyways isn’t going to support the spinners, and with rain around, there won’t be much wear and tear in the wicket, as per Perth curator. But still, going by his form, Ashwin might not be the best choice.
Team India is also set to hand out debut to Nitish Kumar Reddy, over Harshit Rana. Meanwhile, the Aussies are set to go with lefties Usman Khawaja, Travis Head and Alex Carey. Apart from that Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschangne will be certainties too. That leaves India with other bowling options in — Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Although Prasidh Krishna would certainly be a better choice.
R Ashwin for IND vs AUS 1st Test
Coming back to Ashwin, he has a mixed record in Australia, where he has bagged 39 wickets in 10 matches, at an average of 42. Other spinners, Jaddu and Washi have 14 and 4 wickets, respectively. As far as the batting unit is concerned, there is uncertainty over Shubman Gill, as he can still make it to the 1st Test, despite injuring his thumb.
Otherwise, if not him, Devdutt Padikkal will get the chance, with KL Rahul at the top along with Yashasvi Jaiswal on top. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant will be the batting mainstays, with Dhruv Jurel coming in as the last proper batsman.
India Squad for AUS Tests
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (Wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Rishabh Pant (Wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.
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IND vs AUS: Team India look set for massive mistake, R Ashwin to play as lone spinner - Report
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