Former Indian opening batsman Aakash Chopra has expressed strong criticism towards off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, highlighting his lack of creativity on batting-friendly pitches, which has resulted in underwhelming performances during the first two Tests against England. Despite claiming nine wickets across the two matches, Ashwin’s bowling average stands at 36.33, and he has failed to secure a four or five-wicket haul in the series thus far.
Notably, England’s Tom Hartley has overshadowed Ashwin in the spin department, boasting 14 wickets at an impressive average of 24.57, including a remarkable seven-wicket haul in the opening test match. Chopra emphasized the necessity for bowlers to adapt and employ imaginative strategies when confronted with aggressive batting on flat surfaces.
With Ashwin nearing the milestone of 500 Test wickets, Chopra stressed the importance of Ashwin learning to effectively bowl on pitches that offer little assistance to spinners.
Aakash Chopra said: “I am with you, actually. If you play too much cricket on extreme spin-friendly pitches continuously, when you go to flat pitches and the opposing team suddenly comes with an aggressive mindset, you have to be more imaginative, which you expect.”
“The truth is that the Ravi of Ravichandran Ashwin hasn’t risen in the series thus far” – Aakash Chopra
“Ashwin is standing on the verge of 500 wickets. So you expect that he will understand and manage all these things. However, the truth is that the Ravi of Ravichandran Ashwin hasn’t risen in the series thus far. That’s probably a combination of being used to mostly playing on turning pitches and Bazball.”
In other developments, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the remaining three matches of the five-game series against England. Star batsman Virat Kohli will continue to miss out on action due to personal reasons, extending his absence from the series after skipping the first two Tests.
Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar have been included in the squad, while the availability of KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja is contingent upon their fitness. Mohammed Shami remains sidelined due to injury, and the inclusion of pacer Akash Deep adds depth to the bowling unit. The third Test is scheduled to commence on February 15 in Rajkot, followed by the fourth Test in Ranchi on February 23, and the series finale in Dharamsala starting from March 7.
With the series currently level at 1-1, India aims to build on their victory in the second Test at Visakhapatnam following a narrow defeat in the opening encounter in Hyderabad.
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