Rohit and team management dropped Ashwin from XI and chose to field first after winning toss.
India opted to field first in the WTC final after Rohit Sharma won the toss and he surprised everyone by saying that they had opted for Umesh Yadav over R Ashwin in the playing XI. Both decisions came back to bite the Indian team, as they lost the match by 209 runs.
Rohit Sharma was named captain of the Indian team for the Tests and ODIs on the tour of West Indies next month, which will also mark the beginning of the next World Test Championship (WTC 2023-25) cycle for both teams.
Sunil Gavaskar has expressed some reservations over the team selection process in the current setup. He pointed out his playing days and stated that there is a certain lack of accountability in the system right now and that no one asks the tough questions to the captain and team management.
Gavaskar, discussing India's Test squad for the West Indies tour, stated that the board should've ideally convened a meeting where captain Rohit Sharma, and members of team management, would be asked about some of the controversial decisions in the WTC Final.
"Did you have a meeting after the WTC Final where you discussed on whether you should appoint a captain? When we used to play, there was a selection committee meeting where a captain was appointed. Then, he would be asked to join a meeting two days later. He would then tell the selectors what the team needs.
But this doesn't happen in our cricket anymore. Once you select a captain, he remains the captain no matter what. It doesn't matter how many series you lose, you won't be changed. If your performance is good, you remain captain,” Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
“If we had a strong selector, he would ask why did you drop Ashwin? Why you opted to field first? Why did you not use a short-ball tactic on Travis Head as soon as he arrived at the crease? Asking these questions is important. Otherwise, there's no accountability. You can appoint them even after asking those questions. I'm not saying drop them. But there must be accountability,” Gavaskar said.
India will play two Tests against West Indies in Dominica and Trinidad, starting July 12 onwards.