Teams of India and Australia are busy preparing for the World Test Championship final. Many players of both teams have been preparing for this match for a long time. Many players of both the teams were playing in IPL 2023 also and now IPL is over. In such a situation, both the teams have reached England for the match to be held at the Oval on June 7 and are busy finalizing their preparations. Meanwhile, there is a lot of talk about giving Ashwin a chance in the Indian team. Many veterans believe that Shardul Thakur should get a chance in place of Ashwin on the fast pitch of England. At the same time, some people believe that a bowler like Ashwin does not need help from the pitch, he can trouble the batsmen on any pitch. Ashwin's figures also confirm this.
Ashwin's record against Australia is excellent. He has taken 114 wickets in 22 matches against the Kangaroos. At the same time, he has also scored 543 runs with the bat, including an innings of 62 runs. He has done the feat of taking five wickets against Australia seven times.
Excellent record against Warner-Smith
Ashwin's record against the batsmen included in the current Australia team is also excellent. He has dismissed David Warner 11 times while conceding only 194 runs against him. At the same time, he has given 99 runs against Usman Khawaja and has hunted him four times. He has also dismissed Steve Smith eight times, while against Alex Carey he has conceded only 25 runs and dismissed him five times. Only Labushen and Smith are among the batsmen in Australia's team, whose average is more than 50 against Ashwin. At the same time, Travis Head averages 41.7 and Cameron Green averages 38. Alex Carey then gets out after scoring just five runs against Ashwin.
Excellent record in England too
Ravichandran Ashwin's record is excellent even on English soil. He has taken 18 wickets in seven Tests here and scored 261 runs. However, he has not been able to score any half-century here. His best score is 46 not out. Four key batsmen in the Australian team are left-handers and all of them have nothing special against Ashwin. Only Travis Head averages more than 25 against Ashwin. In such a situation, Ashwin can prove to be a trump card for the Indian team.
Why is it necessary for Ashwin-Jadeja to play?
The fast bowlers get help at the Oval in England. In such a situation, all the teams can take the field with four fast bowlers. Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, and Umesh Yadav are sure to play in the Indian team. If the fourth fast bowler gets a chance then Shardul Thakur or Jaydev Unadkat can play. If the Indian team gives a chance to three fast bowlers, then both Ashwin and Jadeja will be in the team.
Apart from being excellent bowlers, Ashwin and Jadeja can also contribute with the bat. Both can build a decisive partnership in the lower middle order. At the same time, the figures of both in bowling are good against Australia. Being spin bowlers, both of them can bowl long spells. In such a situation, captain Rohit can use fast bowlers from the other end. In such a situation, the Australian team also plays long innings, so the Indian bowlers can bowl well by staying fresh throughout the day. At the same time, Ashwin and Jadeja are also adept at bowling tight at one end. This will put pressure on the Kangaroo batsmen and they can make mistakes. If the match goes till the fifth day then spin bowlers can get help. In such a situation, this pair can collect the entire Kangaroo team in just one session. In this context, if the Indian team wants to win the match, then the pair of Ashwin-Jadeja can play an important role in it.
(pc amarujala)