Former Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun said Team India should use veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin as their best spinner during the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Arun spoke to Revsportz and said the veteran is a “very thoughtful” player and his impact during the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where he took 12 wickets in three matches and played a blockbuster draw. Hanuma Vihari in Sydney did not receive due recognition.
“If you ask me, I would play Ashwin as India’s best spinner. He has experience of playing in Australia and is a very thoughtful cricketer. His influence in the final episode doesn’t always get the credit it deserves. The way he played against Steve Smith, his record against Usman Khwaja, the presence of left-handers in the lineup – I have to say it has to be Ashwin. He’s also a very handy hitter. Think about him playing in Sydney and you will understand who I am. Speaking of which,” Arun told Revsportz.
In 10 Tests in Australia, Ashwin took 39 wickets at a rather disappointing average of 42.15 with best figures of 4/55. He also scored 384 runs in 19 innings at an average of 24.00, with two fifties to his name.
Paired with his spin partner Jadeja, Ashwin has more experience but Jadeja has better stats. In four Tests, Jadeja took 14 wickets at an average of around 21 with best figures of 4/62. He also scored 175 runs in five innings at an average of 43.75 and scored two fifties.
Additionally, Washington, who scored a half-century and a total of 84 runs, took a total of four wickets in his only Test appearance in Australia, is also in contention for the game after an impressive home series against New Zealand in which he took 16 wickets in two matches, topping the charts, and also scored 89 runs in four innings.
Talking about the inexperience of the Indian bowling line-up, which was left without Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Jadeja and Umesh Yadav due to injuries during the iconic Gabba Test in 2021, Arun said Washington, Shardul Thakur and T Natrajan are involved. as a reserve/net bowler, remained with the team and gained clarity in their roles as they witnessed the entire Test series unfold in Australia.
Arun said: “Losing Jasprit (Bumrah), Ashwin, (Mohammed) Shami, Umesh (Yadav) and (Ravindra) Jadeja will never be easy. You’ve essentially lost all of your attack. But see, this is where you come in. To become a coach, you need to enjoy the task. You know with Bumrah, Shami and Ashwin you have great guys who will do all the work for you. Every one of them is a legend, be it Bharat. Arun is here or not. The job becomes a little easier when each of these bowlers is available to you.”
“However, at the Gabba it was completely different. You could say we were lucky because of Covid-19. It was only because of the times we lived in that we had Washington, T. Natarajan and Shardul Thakur in our team. We couldn’t get replacements from India and it made sense to keep them in case of an emergency. This meant that they saw everything that happened in Australia. They were part of every locker room conversation and every practice. They knew that. what we wanted and what we wanted. Because they were with us for two months, none of them needed to be told what we wanted from them,” he added.
Arun recalled that this inexperienced line-up of bowlers relished the challenge of beating Australia at the Gabba and winning the series and it was simple.
“Each of these players made it into the Indian team for a reason. They are good enough to be in the top 20 in the country. Everyone has their own strength and that’s all we reminded them of. They needed to play to their strengths.” and don’t worry about the result. They did it and the rest is history,” he concluded.
Following the series opener in Perth on November 22, the second day-night Test will be played under lights at the Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10.
Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which runs from December 14 to 18. The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, will be the penultimate edition of the series.
The fifth and final Test will take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to the highly anticipated series.
India squad for Border-Gavaskar series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk). ), K.L. Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal.
Australia team for the first Test: Pat Cummins (centre), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.
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