Ridiculous: Former England captain on R Ashwin's omission for one-off Test

Former England captain Michael Vaughan was unimpressed with Team India benching R Ashwin for the one-off Test match against England. The senior spinner remained on the bench in all 4 Tests last year and is on the bench for the ongoing Test match as well. Ravindra Jadeja is the sole spinner in the playing XI.

TN Sports Desk

Updated Jul 2, 2022, 08:55 IST

R Ashwin is on the bench in the one-off Test. Photo: BCCI

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

England are hosting India in one-off Test match in Edgbaston
Ravindra Jadeja is the sole spinner in India's playing XI
His presence means that R Ashwin is on the bench for the fixture

India and England are squaring off in the rescheduled one-off Test match at Edgbaston. The fixture is a part of the five-match Test series that was halted due to COVID-19 last year. Team India had returned home with a 2-1 lead before the series was postponed after the 4th Test match.

England won the toss and opted to bowl first. The home team had announced its playing XI on the eve of the fixture and brought in James Anderson in place of Jamie Overton. Jasprit Bumrah is leading India in Rohit Sharma's absence.

There were no surprises in India's playing XI as Cheteshwar Pujara was announced to open the innings. The visitors included 4 pacers in the playing XI while Ravindra Jadeja was the sole spin-bowling all-rounder. Jadeja's inclusion meant that R Ashwin once again stayed on the bench.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan seemed to be upset with the team management's decision to once again bench Ashwin. Vaughan took to Twitter and wrote: "No @ashwinravi99 !!!! Ridiculous .. #ENGvIND."

Ashwin stayed on the bench on the previous tour as well and didn't play any fixture. Hence, his absence from the playing XI wasn't a big surprise. Ashwin is India's first-choice spinner in home conditions but he hasn't been able to replicate his form in overseas conditions. He only managed 3 wickets in as many Tests on the South Africa tour in 2021/22.

England dominate India

Although India have made a comeback in the 2nd session, England have been the dominant force in the fixture. James Anderson has been the star performer with the ball and has scalped 3 wickets so far. His scalps include Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara. Matthew Potts has also been among wickets and has dismissed Virat Kohli and Hanuma Vihari.

Latest News