India will take on England in the third Test in Rajkot from February 15, 2024.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has described Indian off-spinner R Ashwin's performances in the first two Tests of the ongoing five-match Test series against England as "lackluster".
The commentator further mentioned that Ashwin seemed unprepared and that his performances were below par, especially in the first Test against England in Hyderabad. However, the senior off-spinner managed to take nine wickets across the first two matches of the home Test series.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel: “I thought he was slightly taken by surprise in Hyderabad because you generally see Ashwin trying different things. However, that was not seen in Hyderabad. He didn't change his angle at all when Ollie Pope was playing sweeps and reverse sweeps.”
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Chopra added, “He kept bowling from one place and he kept getting hit. That's not the Ashwin that we know. Even in the first innings in Vizag, the batters ran after him and he didn't get wickets. So, the performance has looked slightly weak although he was coming back to his own in the second innings.”
The commentator also said that Ashwin has not met his usual standards on the flatter pitches thus far. He stated: “If you play too much cricket on extreme spin-friendly pitches continuously, when you go to flat pitches and the opposing team suddenly comes with an aggressive mindset, you have to be more imaginative, which you expect.”
Chopra signed off by saying, “Ashwin is standing on the verge of 500 wickets. So, you expect that he will understand and manage all these things. However, the truth is that the Ravi of Ravichandran Ashwin hasn't risen in the series thus far.”