The absence of R Ashwin in the playing 11 of the Antigua Test is the most hot issue of Indian cricket at the moment. The role of former captain and veteran cricketer Sunil Gavaskar is the most important in warming up the issue. On the first day of the Test match, when playing 11 was announced, he was doing commentary. He described the decision to keep R Ashwin out of playing 11 as astounding.
He said that the player who has such a great record against the West Indies, his absence in the team is shocking. After this the media got the headline. Off the headline, the big question now is what is R Ashwin’s future in Indian cricket? It is generally customary that if a senior player is given a place in the team, he is also given a chance in the playing 11.
Rohit Sharma will not be tested on this test because he has yet to prove himself in Test cricket. You can also understand this that if the thinktank of Team India started watching the Indian spin attack ahead of R Ashwin, then he should not have been selected in the team. Because choosing him in the team and keeping him out of playing 11 means that he is now the third spinner of Team India.
As such, every player of the playing 11 has to live up to the expectations of the captain. But the captain’s confidence in the spinner is most important. Recall the time a few years ago. Dhoni removed Bhajji and replaced R Ashwin in the team. Dhoni’s trust in R Ashwin was amazing. This is also a big factor in Ashwin’s success. But as Virat took over the captaincy, R Ashwin’s position gradually weakened.
Let’s go a little further in history, Harbhajan Singh was the first choice of captain Sourav Ganguly. Whereas when Rahul Dravid came, he gave an opportunity to bowlers like Anil Kumble and Murali Karthik. Now come to the current Test match. The West Indies team has many left-handed batsmen. In such a situation, R Ashwin’s place was being considered more firm. Because for the left-handed batsman, Jadeja’s ball will be easy to play because he will spin the ball inside. But Virat Kohli gave Ravindra Jadeja a chance. This also proves that now R Ashwin’s number in Test cricket comes after Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.