The Ashwin question that Team India faces

Express News Service

CHENNAI: On Thursday evening, a fresh video dropped on R Ashwin’s YouTube channel. It was a 28-minute informal chat between Ashwin and Team India’s fielding coach R Sridhar that offered a dressing-room perspective of India’s thumping victory over England at Lord’s. The video – with the caption ‘Kutti Story is back’ – has over 515K views already. 

For the uninitiated, the concept of the ‘Kutti Story’ became extremely popular in Australia earlier this year, when India’s epoch-defining series win was followed by a stream of engaging, light-hearted conversations between Ashwin and members of India’s coaching staff.

Ashwin, of course, played an integral role during the series win in Australia with both bat and ball. He took 12 wickets in three Tests, made Steve Smith look like a novice and took multiple blows on his body to save the Sydney Test with the bat. As things stand, however, his on-field role in this series looks likely to be limited. It seems hard to comprehend how a man with 413 Test wickets and five centuries is sitting out of India’s playing XI, but India’s preference for playing four seamers and just the lone spinner in seam-friendly conditions is taking precedence. Despite Ashwin’s all-round credentials, Ravindra Jadeja’s superiority with the bat gives him the edge.

The remaining three Tests are at Headingley, The Oval and Old Trafford. Both Headingley and Old Trafford are situated in the north of England and have historically favoured the fast bowlers. The Oval is in London and is considered a little more conducive for spin bowlers, especially as this is the latter half of the English summer. Given how well India’s four-pronged pace attack has bowled, Ashwin’s only chance to don the white flannels may be in the fourth Test at The Oval. That is how former leg-spinner and commentator Laxman Sivaramakrishnan sees it anyway.

“I think India will stick to the same strategy if the conditions remain the same. Maybe at The Oval, the weather can get a little warm and Ashwin may get an opportunity. The Oval also has a little bit of turn and bounce. In Leeds and Manchester, I see four fast bowlers playing and Jadeja playing with them as the spinner,” Sivaramakrishnan said during a virtual interaction organised by Sony on Friday.

The merit of playing a fourth pacer over a spinner of Ashwin’s calibre remains up for debate. Over the last three years, Ashwin has managed to conquer a variety of conditions and climes, finding a way of having his say regardless of the conditions. The damp World Test Championship final in June in Southampton was a case in point, taking four wickets for just 45 runs in 25 overs across the two innings.

For the time being, these numbers seem to be insignificant with Virat Kohli suggesting that the template of four pacers will continue. The 55-year-old Sivaramakrishnan feels India’s horses-for-courses policy is reaping rewards.

“India are playing horses for courses. They are feeling confident about playing four pacers and Jadeja as the lone spinner. When you bowl in conditions in England where the ball doesn’t turn so much, there is only a place for one spinner. The spinner’s role in overseas conditions is to keep it tight. Ashwin likes to bowl for wickets, whereas Jadeja likes to keep it tight. He also gets the overs in quickly. Jadeja is ideal to come in and bowl 10-12 overs in a day, keep it tight and make sure the over-rate is fine,” Siva opined.

Kohli and the Indian team management seem to concur. Till Ashwin’s return to the playing XI then, his fans will have to be content with his ‘Kutti Stories’.

Watch the 3rd England vs India Test live from 3.30 PM on Sony Six (English) and Sony Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) from August 25