Ashwin can rise above odds if included in India's playing XI

Ashwin should be the top pick and then the choice should be made between Jadeja and Kuldeep as no doubt Ashwin stands above them in terms of experience

When you think of the Indian test team, what comes to the mind first? It is undoubtedly players like Bumrah, Pujara, and Kohli. But this time things will be different as India will be playing with old but different combinations of openers and bowlers. With Rohit Sharma’s fresh entry to the test team as an opener with Mayank Agarwal, India are also likely to have the spin combination of Ashwin and Jadeja. Though the final XI is yet to be announced, it would be a really wise move to include both Ashwin and Jadeja in absence of Bumrah as both have really good records at home and especially against the Proteas.

Talking about Ravichandran Ashwin here, not too long ago, he was a go-to spinner whenever India was playing test matches. But in the past 15 to 18 months, he has been forced to sit on the bench because of injuries and his out of form game. And in that period we all saw the rise of Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav as the top spinners for the country. But that just doesn’t mean that Ashwin cannot be given further chances. Though the playing XI is yet to be decided, Ashwin’s name is still lingering to whether he will be there or not.

The math here is really simple. India is right now contesting in the World Test Championships and choosing the best for the team is what is needed at this moment. And according to all the statistics that are out there, choosing Ashwin over any other spinner will be a wise move. But for the coach Ravi Shastri, this does not seem to be an important decision as according to him, he seems to prefer Jadeja over Ashwin. The question here is why it shouldn't be so?

Rise of an allrounder

It was an unexpected moment for all the Ashwin fans seeing him do the magic with the bat too as he was able to contribute at least 30 to 40 runs in most of the innings that he has played in his last two matches both at home and away. In the year 2016, Ashwin scored 612 runs in just 12 innings. It is a surprise to see a spinner score such huge amount of runs. Therefore, he has proven that he has the technique to turn things his way.

When it comes to the home ground, Ashwin has good amount records as he has 342 wickets in Test matches as compared to his overseas tally which is just 108 wickets. India is likely to play two frontline spinners against South Africa this time and even the captain would go for three spinners as well. In that case, Ashwin should be the top pick and then the choice should be made between Jadeja and Kuldeep as no doubt Ashwin stands above them in terms of experience.

If Ashwin gets picked for the playing XI then he will get the three games to prove himself again as a world-class spinner. If we compare Ashwin and Jadeja’s record at home then both the players have played 28 matches in which Ashwin has taken 171 wickets whereas Jadeja just has 144 in his account. In terms of average, Ashwin again aces the race with 22.02 and Jadeja with 19.71. The strike rate that Ashwin owns is 49.6 but here Jadeja is ahead with 54.3. Ashwin has taken 17 fifers which is really an impactful number at home and Jadeja has taken just 7 of them.

It is not that the Jadeja is not good enough when compared to Ashwin, both the players have actually got a unique set of expertise when they are on the field. And both should be taken into the final playing XI as the duo can destruct the opposition easily. The current South Africa team is without the experienced shoulders of Hashim Amla and Ab de Villiers, therefore, the rookie Proteas will be easy to handle for the Indian bowlers and considering the Indian spin attack, then it is considered as one of the most dangerous one in the world. If the duo gets to the ground, the bowling attack will be of no concern against inexperienced South Africa. But also there should not be any casual approach as it will cost the team because in test matches it is all about grabbing the wickets.

Right now India stand at the top of the table in World Test Championships and if they face an upset from South Africa then India will lose the valuable points in the WTC table and might risk the position of World No.1 test team as well. Therefore, in order to keep this winning momentum the way it is, the skipper and the coach will have to produce their best available resources in order to ace every step of the Championships and that should start with choosing Ashwin over everyone because if a rookie player like KL Rahul can get numerous chances to prove himself in the test matches, then Ashwin who holds impressive records at home must get this chance to prove his worth for the Indian Test team.

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