"It will be unfortunate" - Aakash Chopra on why India should play Ashwin and Jadeja together
Aakash Chopra has opined that Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja should play in tandem in the forthcoming Tests against England. He added that Shardul Thakur might be the unfortunate bowler to miss out in such a scenario.
There was criticism from certain quarters when Team India decided not to play Ashwin in the first Test against England. Jadeja was the only spinner in the playing XI, with the Virat Kohli-led side opting to go with a four-pronged pace attack.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was asked by a fan if there is a possibility of Ashwin and Jadeja playing together during the series. He replied:
"One hundred percent. You want to play five bowlers and don't want to compromise on your batting, I totally get it. But in that, you should definitely play Ashwin and Jaddu and both will bat well also. It will be unfortunate that you will have to leave out Shardul."
The cricketer-turned-commentator also named Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj as the three seamers he would like to play. Aakash Chopra reasoned:
"You will play your three premier bowlers, who are Bumrah, Shami and Siraj after this Test match - Ishant will also have to wait. That's the nature of the beast, you get injured and someone plays and ensures his place, then it takes longer for you to come back."
Siraj played the first Test at Nottingham after Ishant Sharma was ruled out due to injury. It will be interesting to see if the Hyderabad-born pacer holds on to his spot if Sharma is deemed fit for the second Test.
"There is going to be help for the spinners" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra added that the Lord's pitch might also be conducive for spin bowling. He explained:
"It is the second half of the English summer. You are going to Lord's where a lot of The Hundred is being played, which means the pitch has been used a lot, the square is being used quite a bit. And if it is being used that much, there is going to be help for the spinners."
The 43-year-old signed off by stating that even if Jadeja and Ashwin don't get to play together at Lord's, they are likely to be seen in tandem later in the series. Aakash Chopra elaborated:
"So if there is help for the spinners and if you think the forecast for five days is nice and hot, spinners have to play. So it could be as early as the 2nd Test match else in this series, we will definitely see Jaddu and Ashwin playing together. There is a match at the Oval and another at Old Trafford, the ball is going to turn in both places."
Virat Kohli mentioned post the first Test that Team India are likely to persist with the same template in terms of the team composition for the upcoming matches. However, Ashwin should definitely be in their scheme of things if they encounter a surface that is less seamer-friendly than the one in Nottingham.