3 reasons why R Ashwin should not be picked for the Australian Test series

R Ashwin returned from England with 11 wickets from 4 Tests in the 2018 Test series.

India is scheduled to tour Australia for four-Tests, 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs starting with the T20I series on 21^st November and the first Test will start in Adelaide from December 6. The other three Tests are scheduled to be played at Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney.  

With a strong bowling lineup that India possesses this time, which picked 20 wickets almost every time on the Test tour in England. This bowling lineup also picked 20 wickets in every Test on the tour to South Africa and it was the batting failure that led to India losing the Test series 1-2 against Proteas and 1-4 against England.

The biggest failure was the bowling of Indian spinners on pitches outside India. India preferred to play just one spinner in the majority of matches on both the tours and that spinner was R Ashwin. Though Ravindra Jadeja came good in the only Test he played in England, Ashwin was preferred to either Jadeja or Kuldeep in England.

Against South Africa, Ashwin played two Tests and picked 7 wickets with a best of 4/113 and was rendered ineffective by the pitches and his inability to get anything out of those pitches.  

In England, Ashwin did pick seven wickets in the first Test match, but then picked up an injury and lost all his form. In the fourth Test at Southampton, India lost to the spin of Moeen Ali on a turning wicket, where he picked 9 wickets as compared to Ashwin’s three. Ashwin sort of fizzled out after the first Test and his decision to keep playing with an injury, made things worse for him.

Now with Ashwin coming good against West Indies on home pitches, the big question arises is whether he should be included in the upcoming tour to Australia in the Test team or not?

The answer is a big NO. And we have some reasons as to why R Ashwin is not suited for the Australia Test series.   

We take a look at 3 reasons why R Ashwin should not be picked for the Australian Test series:

Poor overseas record

R Ashwin has always been criticized for his poor away record outside the home conditions. Out of the 333 Test wickets to his name, 102 wickets have come outside India with 6 five-wicket hauls and 1 ten wicket haul.

However, his average of 31.78 and strike rate of 62.12 is strikingly poor when compared to his home average of 22.67 and a strike rate of 48.96, where he has picked 231 wickets.

Ashwin’s record becomes ever poorer when you consider his record in Australia, England, and South Africa (he is yet to play a Test in New Zealand). In 15 Tests, he has picked 42 wickets at an average of 46.02 and a strike rate of 90.47. When you compare this to his stats in India and Sri Lanka, where he has 269 wickets in 48 Tests with an average of 22.51 and strike rate of 47.85; the difference is strikingly visible.

Ashwin is a very good off-spinner and may be one of the best that India has produced, even breaking Dennis Lillie’s record of fastest to 300 wickets in Tests; but this record of his outside India and Indian subcontinent will always put an asterisk against his greatness when he will be done with his career.

This record of his alone speaks enough against his inclusion for the Australia Test series, where last time too he played three Tests and picked 12 wickets at an average of 44.66 and SR of 85.3.   

Pitches in Australia tough on finger spinners
The four Tests in Australia will be played at Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney. Out of these four venues, the prospect of a surface of having some spin only lies in venues of Sydney and Adelaide. Last time India played at Adelaide, they lost the Test by 48 runs on which Nathan Lyon picked 12 wickets in the Test, while the Indian spinner Karn Sharma, making his Test debut, picked four wickets.

The story is that in Australia even on the pitches which give assist to spin, one needs to keep the bounce in check, as most of the times, the ball bounces over the stumps. Indian spinners never get used to this fact and have not succeeded in Australia in recent times and also traditionally. Whereas Australian spinners know how to bowl at the venue and how much spin to impart and in this matter, Nathan Lyon has been highly successful even against teams which play spin well, like India.

R Ashwin has not played at the venue and given that India now has a potent fast bowling attack, and the option of playing a wrist spinner in Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, who likes to bowl on pitches like Sydney, thanks to his nature of not spinning the ball more, bowling stumps to stumps and bowling at a fast speed, Ashwin might not be the best bet.

Even at Sydney, a venue that helps spinners,  the best figures by an Indian bowler is 8/141 by Anil Kumble in 2004 Test and it was a toiling day for the premier spinner in his prime. But he was able to do so because he was a wrist spinner and could get bounce and spin from the tough pitch. Ashwin’s last sojourn with Sydney pitch ended up in him picking 5 wickets for 209 runs.

His poor fitness
Ashwin had started off well in England, picking seven wickets in the first Test, but then his performance dropped like dominoes falling and something that contributed to this was a groin injury that he picked up in the second Test.

It hampered his pivot at the pitch which left him with less spin and dips on the ball and he was beaten by Moeen Ali, who wasn’t even considered England’s first choice spinner in the 4^th Test, as Ali picked 9 wickets in the match to earn the Man of the Match award on a spinning pitch as compared to Ashwin’s three.

Ashwin has already been under fire for his poor fielding skills. He was at one time a very good slips fielder but hasn’t fielded in that position to save his fingers from damage and in the outfield, he looks slow and labored.

Given that all the four grounds in Australia which will host the Tests against India are huge, Ashwin’s fielding will only be a negative for Indian team and in his place, a young or agile fielder like Ravindra Jadeja or someone else might be able to save 15-20 runs in the Test match and will also be a safe bet fitness wise.