3 reasons why Ravichandran Ashwin's absence from the 3rd Test vs England is a big blow to India

India were dealt a big blow when the BCCI announced late on Friday evening that star all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin would play no further part in the ongoing third Test against England in Rajkot.

Ashwin has been released from the Test camp and he rushed back home to Chennai for a family medical emergency that needed to be addressed immediately.

While the BCCI pledged its support to Ashwin in such stressful times, there is no denying that India will be severely affected in the third Test with him not being present.

In this listicle, we bring to you three reasons why Ravichandran Ashwin's absence is a big blow for India.

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#1 India will end up being a bowler short

Although India have gone with five bowlers in this Test, Ashwin's absence will mean that they will now have to operate with just four. What will hurt the home team's chances even more is that they do not have any part-time bowlers in their ranks.

With Ashwin gone, India will have to rely more upon Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja in the spin-bowling department. Quite naturally, a lot of pressure will mount upon seamers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as well.

Had Ashwin been around, skipper Rohit Sharma would have been able to rotate his bowlers well.

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#2 India will miss Ravichandran Ashwin's experience with the bat

Ravichandran Ashwin has contributed to India a lot with the bat in the past. He is not just a mean off-spinner. He can very well be counted in the pantheon of top Test-playing all-rounders. Ashwin is among the chosen few who have scored 3000 Test runs and picked up 500 Test wickets.

With five Test centuries under his belt, Ashwin would have added a lot of heft for India with the bat in hand in the second innings.

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#3 The pitch was tailor-made for him

The pitch here at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot was tailor-made for Ashwin. It is known to turn sharply, and the Tamil Nadu spinner would have enjoyed bowling on it.

As it turns out, he will not play a part for India from the third day and the entire responsibility has now been transferred to Jadeja and Kuldeep.

With India bowling last on this surface, Ashwin could have run amok on the English batters and troubled them with his exacting lines and lengths. Being quite tall, Ashwin has the advantage of delivering the ball from a trajectory that makes it quite challenging for batters to face him.