Amid the anticipation, the five-match Test series between England and India got underway on Wednesday (August 4) at Trent Bridge.
At the toss, India skipper Virat Kohli shared the playing XI which had a few omissions, with veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin being the most notable one.
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It is worth mentioning here that Ashwin was the Player-of-the-Series when the two sides clashed in a Test series in India earlier this year.
No wonder, batting great VVS Laxman was also left surprised by Ashwin’s exclusion.
"I always felt that Ravichandran Ashwin is a very skillful bowler and what we have seen recently with his overseas performance, they have been brilliant. When India beat Australia in Australia, the way he got rid of Steve Smith consistently shows, how confident he is. When I see the squad here, they have gone with Shardul Thakur, probably as a medium pace option who can also provide some depth in batting," Laxman said while speaking on ESPNCricinfo.
Ravindra Jadeja is the lone spinner in India’s line-up for the opening Test. Apart from Ashwin, senior pace Ishant Sharma has been excluded from the side as the Indian team management decided to go with Mohammed Siraj.
Right-handed batsman KL Rahul and the seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur also made it to the playing XI.
"But for me, if you’re picking a bowler who can bat at No. 8, I would go for someone who can give me match-winning performances, and that will be R Ashwin. I would have gone with the balance which the Indian team had for the WTC final. I don’t know why Virat Kohli and the team management went with this team combination. The only logic I see in this is that Thakur can bat and the way he bowled in Brisbane. I just feel for R Ashwin. He is a class bowler and you can’t keep him out of the Playing XI," he added.
According to Laxman, Ashwin should have been one of the four bowlers along with Jadeja as the all-rounder.
"I don’t give too much value to someone who is batting at 8. I would be going with four top-class wicket-taking bowlers, and then at No. 7, I’ll have my all-rounder who can chip in either with the bat or ball. And that all-rounder is Ravindra Jadeja," he remarked.
"Ashwin has shown over the last couple of years that he is a match-winner by putting pressure over the best of batsmen. The way he troubled Steve Smith on flat wickets shows how much confidence he has got."
