2 sessions into ‘The Ultimate Test’, the talking point of the game was Ravichandran Ashwin. The World No.1 bowler was ignored by Rohit Sharma in his playing XI for the IND vs AUS WTC Final. India struck to their template of four-seamers on foreign soil but came to regret the decision an hour into the clash at The Oval.
Rohit Sharma walked in at the toss with a green top surface awaiting both teams for the WTC Final. The overcast conditions further called for pace-friendly conditions. Rohit obliged by leaving Ravichandran Ashwin out, and playing four seamers.
A look at the canvas for the #WTC23 Final. pic.twitter.com/kpxYPLt5Na
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 7, 2023
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The first hour of play justified Rohit’s selection. Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj got the new Dukes’ ball to swing and seam prodigiously. Usman Khawaja was sent packing, while David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne were lucky to survive on a couple of occasions. However, soon the tricks were out and Rohit Sharma was left scratching his head even as Ravichandran Ashwin walked in with drinks.
As the sun came out, India was left to rue their selection error. Travis Head and Steve Smith piled on a double-century stand as India bowlers toiled hard on a belter of a wicket. Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur were unimpressive as Australia plundered the runs with ease. Ravindra Jadeja bowled a quiet spell, getting some turn on Day 1. Beneath the green cover, the Oval surface is dry and will offer turn as the game progresses. Ashwin thus continues to be a massive miss.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting was critical of India’s decision to drop Ashwin. Speaking on commentary, he said, “India have fallen into the trap of picking an attack for the first inning of this Test match only.”
“The reason why I was surprised that Ashwin was left out is because of the number of left-handers Australia have. There’s no doubt in my mind that Ashwin would have bowled a lot better than Jadeja later on in the Test,” he added.
The off-spinner has a decent record in England with 18 wickets in seven Test matches, at an average of 28.11.
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