Has Ravichandran Ashwin played his last Test in SENA countries?
As Virat Kohli started speaking to Michael Atherton after the toss at the Oval on Thursday, every Indian fan wanted to know whether Ravichandran Ashwin had found a place in the side or not. As soon as he revealed what India’s combination looked like for the fifth and the final Test, there was almost a sigh in Atherton’s voice. That sigh was felt by a lot of Indian fans.
Right at the top, it seems harsh that India have kept Ashwin, a spinner with more than 400 Test wickets, out of the team from arguably their most important Test series of the year. At this rate, it doesn’t seem that he will play in Manchester either, even if Michael Vaughan successfully manages to trend ‘#BringbackAshwin’ on Twitter.
The non selection of @ashwinravi99 has to be greatest NON selection we have ever witnessed across 4 Tests in the UK !!! 413 Test wickets & 5 Test 100s !!!! #ENGvIND Madness …
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) September 2, 2021
But it is important to get a few things straight here. One, England are not stupid. The word said in the context of the English cricket team might seem not on point, but it is true, they are everything but stupid. To say as far as that the pitches have been doctored would not be accurate but we have not seen a ‘two-spinners’ pitch yet in this series.
A lot of hypotheses for bringing back Ashwin have been around his recent numbers in SENA countries. Fair enough, but even though he is a better bowler in overseas conditions, it is important to understand when we categorize SENA countries together, it shows how little we actually understand about cricket. England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand all have conditions foreign for sub-continental players, yet they are very different from each other.
People will tell you that Ashwin picked up a six-for in the second innings of a county match at Oval in July, but what people often forget is that Ashwin bowled 43 overs in the first innings, shelled out 99 runs and picked up only one wicket. And that is England and how conditions work. If you see, historically how Test matches have been played in England, it is almost laughable that us Indians want two spinners to play.
When it comes to playing Ashwin on foreign pitches, maybe Ashwin will not find his way into the XI in England on this tour and considering his age, it is hard to predict if he will come back with the team next time around. He might find it difficult to get into the team in South Africa as well. The New Zealand tour doesn’t seem to be close enough. Australia is one place where India could play him again, given his success.
India is blessed with options and talent across the board. And no matter what happens in England, the decision of not playing Ashwin would be debated. After years of being dominated by foreign pacers, Kohli should be seducing Indian fans with the idea of having four seamers. Yet he finds himself in a conundrum with fans questioning Ashwin’s absence. By the end of his career, Ashwin might look back and cherish this time, when he made the most noise, despite not even playing.
