3 times India dropping Ravichandran Ashwin in a Test backfired badly

Team India made a huge call by deciding to drop Ravichandran Ashwin from the playing XI for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, which began at the Kennington Oval in London on Wednesday.

Looking at the overcast conditions ahead of the toss, India decided to go in with four seamers and only one spinner in Ravindra Jadeja.

Explaining the decision, Indian captain Rohit Sharma admitted that it was a tough call to leave out a match-winner like Ashwin. He, however, backed the move, stating that India needed to take a brave call keeping the best interest of the team in mind.

Critics, however, were not convinced and legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Ricky Ponting questioned the move to drop the No.1-ranked Test bowler.

Although only one day of play in the WTC final has been completed, India are in a tough position as Australia have raced away to 327/3. As the pitch eased out after the first hour, batting became very easy and India seemed to miss someone like Ashwin, who could have kept things tight.

This is not the first time India have taken the tough decision to leave Ashwin out of the playing XI in an overseas Test.

We revisit three previous instances when India missed the off-spinner after he was left out of the starting XI.

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#3 Christchurch Test (2020)

The off-spinner during the WTC final. (Pic: Getty Images)

India lost the two-match Test series in New Zealand 0-2 during their 2019-20 tour.

Ashwin played the first match in Wellington and although the visitors went down by 10 wickets, the off-spinner had not done too badly. He bowled 29 overs in the first innings and registered figures of 3/99, getting the wickets of Henry Nicholls, Kyle Jamieson and Colin de Grandhomme.

It were the batters who let India down, folding up for 165 and 191 in their two innings. New Zealand scored 348 in their first innings and were set a target of merely nine runs to win the Test, which they did without losing a wicket.

When the team for the second Test in Christchurch was announced, it was Ashwin who was left out of the playing XI, with Jadeja replacing him. India’s fortunes did not change much as the batting again came a cropper and they went down by seven wickets.

While New Zealand is not a country that assists spin too much, Ashwin’s presence could have at least helped India compete as he could have contributed with the willow as well.

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#2 Headingley (2021)

India have preferred Jadeja as the lead spinner in overseas conditions due to his batting ability. (Pic: Getty Images)

Ashwin surprisingly did not play any of the four Tests during the 2021 tour of England as Jadeja was preferred over him. But India missed the services of the seasoned off-spinner badly in the third Test at Headingley in Leeds.

After being bundled out for 78 in 40.4 overs on Day 1, India needed someone to keep the England batters quiet, so that they do not completely run away with the game. Ashwin could have done the job, but he wasn’t picked.

England batted for 132.2 overs in their first innings and built a massive lead, putting up an imposing 432 on the board courtesy of Joe Root’s 165-ball 121. Left-arm spinner Jadeja bowled 32 overs and registered figures of 2/88.

India scored 278 in their second innings, with the lower order crumbling again. Here too, Ashwin could have chipped in with a defiant knock as he has so often done over the years.

In the end, England eased to a thumping victory by an innings and 76 runs.

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#1 Birmingham (2022 - rescheduled Test)

Ravichandran Ashwin has five Test tons to his credit. (Pic: Getty Images)

There was no place for Ashwin in the rescheduled Test against England in Birmingham in July 2022. The playing XI, led by Jasprit Bumrah in Rohit’s absence, had a similar make-up to the one in the ongoing WTC final.

India went in with four pacers in Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj, while Jadeja was again preferred over Ashwin.

India did well to post 416 batting first as Rishabh Pant and Jadeja hit tons. However, the bowlers allowed England to recover from 83/5 to 284 as Jonny Bairstow smashed 106 in 140 balls.

Jadeja, who was picked as India’s frontline spinner, bowled only two overs in the first innings.

After being bowled out for 245 in their second innings, India missed the services of Ashwin as England cruised to a seven-wicket victory in a chase of 378.

Root and Bairstow slammed thumping hundreds as India’s bowlers looked completely pedestrian. Jadeja registered figures of 0/62 in 18.4 overs.