New Delhi: The Indian cricket team's management had decided to not include veteran star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in India's playing XI for first two Test matches against England. Ravindra Jadeja played both the Tests as a spin all-rounder and fast bowler Ishant Sharma was named in the team after Shardul Thakur was injured in the first Test.
Many former players were giving different reasons for exclusion of Ashwin in the team. Many veterans were surprised when Ashwin was not included in the team, first at Nottingham and then at Lord's. Now, Ashwin himself has revealed why he was not included in the team for the Lord's Test. He told that it rained in the morning of the second Test, due to which the Indian team landed with four fast bowlers.
“The funny thing was, before the match, they were like, ‘There’s a heatwave. You please be ready mate. You might play.’ Upon coming to breakfast in the morning, rains started lashing out. I asked, ‘Won’t you tell about heatwave after it came? Why gave me hope only for it to end in disappointment!’,” Ashwin said in his YouTube show, 'Kutti Story'.
R Ashwin is one of the best spinners in the world in international cricket. For some time now, Ashwin has been doing well with both bat and ball. In the home series against England, Ashwin took 32 wickets and also scored a brilliant hundred on the difficult wicket of Chennai.
Ashwin has scored 2685 Test runs in 79 Test matches at an average of 27.68. He has 5 centuries and 11 half-centuries to his name. At the same time, in the same number of Tests, Ashwin has taken 413 wickets at an impressive average of 24.56.
Considering his excellent record and recent form, Ashwin's place in the team on the England tour was considered to be confirmed. The third Test match of the series will be played in Leeds from August 25.