The time is ripe for Ravichandran Ashwin to make his first appearance of the series: Dinesh Karthik

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik jumped on the bandwagon calling for Ravichandran Ashwin's inclusion in the team for the Oval Test. Karthik opined that India's first-choice spin bowler has to play the decisive fourth Test against England, which starts on Thursday.

In all three Tests so far, India have gone with four pacers and a lone spinner in Ravindra Jadeja, who has pipped Ashwin in the pecking order due to his superior batting ability. However, the innings loss in Leeds has prompted several experts to call for Ashwin to feature at the Oval.

Writing in his column for the Telegraph, Dinesh Karthik feels the time has come for Ravichandran Ashwin to debut in the series. The 37-year-old reminded fans that the Oval has registered some high-scoring games this year, with the pitch being flat.

Karthik advised Kohli to throw a curveball in England's direction as Ashwin hardly needs assistance from the surface. He wrote:

"I believe the time is ripe for Ravichandran Ashwin to make his first appearance of the series. Traditionally, the Oval has thrown up some of the flattest pitches in England and it has been no different this season. Three of Surrey’s five matches at home in the County Championship have ended indecisively, and ten hundreds have been registered in those games."

Karthik added:

"If I was Virat Kohli, I’d like to bring a new dimension into play in this crucial Test. As Ashwin has shown in his storied career, he hasn’t necessarily relied on assistance from the surface to make an impact."

💬 We are ready to bounce back in the next Test: B Arun 🗣️#TeamIndia looking positive ahead of The Oval Test 💪🏻#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/81KGyU8nqN

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 1, 2021

Dinesh Karthik talks about Ashwin's strengths against the left-handers

Dinesh Karthik. (Image Credits: Getty)

Dinesh Karthik also highlighted the 34-year-old's promising record against southpaws and noted that Ashwin is equally threatening against right-handers. He lauded the Tamil Nadu spinner for tirelessly practicing and mastering his skills. Karthik wrote:

"England have two left-handers in their top three and three in the top seven. The off-spinner’s record against lefties is second to none, and he is more than handy against the right-handers, who he tests with the knuckle ball and the floater that he has mastered through hours of diligent practice away from the harsh spotlight of the international game."

Karthik further said Ashwin would be happy with Oval's bounce as the Australian decks offered him the same.

"Like the Australian tracks, the Oval boasts bounce, which is Ashwin’s greatest ally away from home. He is willing to try to buy wickets because he is always focused on getting batsmen out."

Ravichandran Ashwin was highly impactful at home earlier this year against England, which earned him the Man of the Series award. However, even after performing well for Surrey in a County Championship game, he has been left out of the Indian squad for the majority of the current series.