Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are likely to remain out of the playing XI in the five-match series against Australia. Former BCCI selector Devang Gandhi feels the team management has done the right thing by playing Washington Sundar ahead of the two senior members.
Ashwin and Jadeja have taken 855 Test wickets collectively but have fallen behind in the pecking order. While Ashwin and Jadeja have done well on Indian pitches, their performances in overseas matches haven’t been consistent. Ashwin and Jadeja are 38 and 36, and the team under Gautam Gambhir is backing the young players.
Sundar’s bad performances would be required to make a place for either spinner in the XI. If that happens, Jadeja will have more chances to play because of his batting record in overseas conditions.
“The current form is the real decider. The management wanted confident players without looking at past records. Washy bowled well against New Zealand and is a good lower middle-order batter,’ Gandhi told PTI.
Ashwin’s overseas performance has been concerning. His last Test in the SENA countries was in January 2022, and his best bowling figures were in January 2022 during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21.
“Washy can be attacking in Australia but the bowling will revolve around Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana. If Mohammed Shami is fit, he will there for the latter stages. So spinners job is bowl a tight line and length to help the pacers,” he added.
“You also need a steady batter. He is going to be the first choice. Ashwin took nine wickets from three Test against New Zealand while Sundar claimed 16 scalps in two games.
“If the two lead spinners between them have just one five-wicket haul in 10 years (overseas), that is a problem. Washy has a better batting technique compared to the duo,” he concluded.
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