ENG vs IND: “It has come back to bite you” – Aakash Chopra on not playing Ravichandran Ashwin in Lord’s Test

ENG vs IND: “It has come back to bite you” – Aakash Chopra on not playing Ravichandran Ashwin in Lord’s Test

Aakash Chopra and Ravichandran Ashwin

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has reckoned that the Virat Kohli-led team’s decision of excluding Ravichandran Ashwin from their playing XI for the second Test could come back to haunt them.

Team India continued with their combination of four fast bowlers and one frontline spinner in the Lord’s Test against England. The visitors went with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Siraj alongside Ravindra Jadeja as their bowling attack.

During a recent video uploaded on Aakash Chopra’s Youtube channel, he highlighted that none of India’s fast bowlers could post runs on the board. On the other hand, Ashwin is not just a handy batter but would have been effective with the ball as well, considering the pitch conditions. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36LGaGfvunE

“Let’s be fair, let’s be honest, the tail was too long. Shami, Siraj, Bumrah, Ishant – I mean you don’t expect a lot of runs. So it has come back to bite you because none of the four fast bowlers you played bat.

“You have not played Ravichandran Ashwin and this pitch is getting slower. The edges are also not carrying and that’s another thing that is going to be a regular feature of this Test match that the pitch is getting slower and slightly lower. You need spin on the fourth and fifth day, it is almost certain,” Aakash Chopra stated.

“Ishant might look a little ineffective with the old ball on this pitch”

Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma

The cricketer-turned-commentator further opined that Ishant Sharma might not turn out to be much lethal with the old ball on this ground. He also pointed out that the team management under-bowled Shami on day two of the Test match. 

“Shami, I thought, was under-bowled, to begin with. He had bowled only six overs when 40-42 overs play had happened. Ishant Sharma might look a little ineffective with the old ball on this pitch,” he added.

The 43-year-old concluded while expressing his expectations from Ravindra Jadeja – the bowler. 

“Fast bowlers will have to put in a lot of effort on this pitch. You will expect a little more from Jadeja, not only the economical bowling but also wickets,” Chopra signed off.

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