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ToggleRavichandran Ashwin will reportedly be the lone spinner in the Indian XI for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series against Australia. This Test will be played in Perth’s Optus Stadium from November 22.
For the Australia series, the selectors chose Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin as their three spin bowling options. Washington Sundar, who excelled with the ball during the most recent home Test series, was added to the squad, but Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav were left out.
Even former India captain Sourav Ganguly had opined that Ravichandran Ashwin must be included in the playing XI for the first Test. He said that although Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja are capable batsmen, Ashwin is required because of the Australian team’s abundance of left-handers.
“There is no debate, Ashwin must play. Your best spinner must play. In Test cricket, play specialists. Also, against the number of left-handers in the Australian line-up, Ashwin is certain to have an impact. Yes, there is [Ravindra] Jadeja and Washington [Sundar], and both bat well, but you must go in with your best spinner in the first Test,” Ganguly said on Revsportz.
Ravi Ashwin has a decent record in Australia with 39 wickets in 10 Tests with a best of 4/55.
Ravichandran Ashwin to be the lone spinner in India XI for Perth Test
It’s important to note that in recent years, the team management has supported Ravindra Jadeja as the only spinner in international Test matches. For the Perth Test match, though, the visitors are probably going to make some adjustments.
Indian Express reports that Ravichandran Ashwin would be selected as the playing XI’s sole spinner. According to the report, the Indian team’s management is supporting Ravichandran Ashwin and is thinking about including more left-handed batsmen in Australia’s starting lineup.
His performances have improved over time in Australian conditions. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar have impressive stats, but their experience in Australia is limited.
Nitish Kumar Reddy to Make His Test Debut In Perth
According to the report, the visitors are anticipated to select three fast bowlers, one seam-bowling all-rounder, and one spinner for the starting lineup. With Prasidh Krishna and Hardik Rajan as backups, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep are probably going to start.
In the Perth encounter, Nitish Kumar Reddy, who only appeared in three Twenty20 International matches for India, is probably going to make his Test debut. During the unofficial Test match against Australia A, Reddy was a member of the India A team.
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