“Bowling attack just for first innings,” Ricky Ponting takes BRUTAL dig at Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid for leaving out R Ashwin out of WTC Final

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India and Australia locked horns in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at The Oval on Wednesday. India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first. Team India went with four pacers in their playing XI, leaving out R Ashwin. Sharma cited the pitch conditions and the overcast conditions as the rationale behind this decision. While many felt it was a good call, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting took a brutal dig at the Indian team management.

Ponting said that leaving out R Ashwin was not justified and also felt that India’s bowling attack was selected only for the first innings. The former Australia captain did not look pleased with Rohit’s analysis of the pitch and reckoned the Indian captain got fooled by the grass covering on the wicket. 

“India have made a mistake of picking a bowling attack just for first innings of the game. Australia have many left-handers; Ashwin would trouble the left-handers more than Jadeja. I saw the grass, yes there was grass but the deeper I looked, it seemed dry to me,” Ponting said on-air on Star Sports.

Also Read: “Absolute disrespect”- Netizens bewildered after India make SHOCKING decision by dropping No. 1 Test bowler Ravichandran Ashwin from WTC Final

Sanjay Manjrekar echoes Ricky Ponting’s thoughts on R Ashwin’s omission

Ricky Ponting was not alone who was left surprised by R Ashwin’s omission. Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar also felt that leaving out R Ashwin was a bit strange on India’s part considering the number of left-handers in the opposition batting lineup. 

“I’m a little surprised that Ashwin hasn’t been picked considering the amount of left-handers as well in the opposition. So, I hope it’s a move that is completely dictated by the pitch and I hope there is a movement for the seam bowlers, not just on Day One but Day Two and Three as well. Then it becomes a good selection,” said Manjrekar to ESPNCricinfo. 

Notably, R Ashwin has picked 241 wickets of left-handers which account for more than half of his total Test wickets. Also, Australia have as many as four left-handers in the top seven.

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