This is not an a criticism of Washington Sundar. He is a talented young man and will surely play many more Test matches for India going forward. But this is certainly an argument in favour of Ravichandran Ashwin playing the Adelaide Test. Ashwin, needless to say, is India’s premier spinner – 530 Test wickets stand testimony. His performances in Adelaide – 16 wickets in the three Tests he has played – are also extremely decent. On a wicket which Nathan Lyon claims will assist spinners late into the match, Ashwin could be handy for India. He has done well against Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne in the past, and will be every bit prepared if given an opportunity.
On Wednesday, Ashwin was the first to the nets. Alongside Nitish Kumar Reddy, he batted for a lengthy stint and then bowled as well. While it is true that Sundar adds batting depth, it is also true that Ashwin is no mug with the bat. He has played a lot of impactful knocks, and his effort in Sydney in 2021 will forever be one of the best match-saving innings played for India. On a wicket which should suit him more than Perth, is there a case for playing India’s best spinner?
I argue that there is. With Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma back in the ranks at No. 3 and, possibly, No. 5 for India, the team has much more batting depth. Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel are still inexperienced at this level, and have hardly played in Australia. Rohit and Gill add experience and heft to the batting, and that’s where Ashwin becomes relevant. With Reddy doing better than expected, India’s dependence on Sundar is less than it was in Perth. And Ashwin can inflict more damage as a specialist spinner. His record says as much, and needless to say, he is waiting for the chance.
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With Ashwin, you always get two things. The first, of course, is fight. Come what may, he will scrap. At no point will you see Ashwin give up. And against Australia, that’s a fantastic quality to have. Given how Smith had played him in the past, he devised a plan and successfully executed it in 2021. He knows Smith, Labuschagne and Khawaja are the key, and he will also know that his role will be that of a support bowler.
The second thing about Ashwin is how he picks up the smallest of cues that batters give him. By his own admission, he wasn’t doing so against Smith. And that’s when he paused, and decided to do a deep dive. He needed to see what Smith was giving him and use it to his advantage. Against an Australian top and middle order with multiple left-hand batters, Ashwin will surely come in handy. On a day three or day-four wicket, India can rely on him not just for breakthroughs, but also to keep the pressure on the Australian batters.
Will India go for Ashwin’s vast experience? While we will only know that on the morning of the Test match on December 6, suffice to say that someone with 530 Test wickets warming the bench tells you much about the talent in this Indian team. If India does go to Ashwin, it will be a bold call and possibly a definitive one.