'There is no debate, he must play' - Sourav Ganguly wants India to play R Ashwin in pace-friendly Perth

India and Australia will commence the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 with the first Test in Perth from November 22. The pitch curator of the Optus Stadium, Isaac McDonald, has stated that there will be plenty of pace and bounce with 10 mm grass left on the deck. As a result, it is expected from both sides to field their best combination of pacers for the curtain raiser.

Amidst all these developments, the role of a traditional spinner becomes minimal. It is understandable that India might stick to Ravindra Jadeja for his all-rounding abilities, but former India skipper, Sourav Ganguly has warned India head coach Gautam Gambhir to not exclude R Ashwin from the playing XI.

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"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," said Ganguly as quoted by NDTV Sports. 

"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. Play with specialist batsmen and bowlers, and that's where Ashwin is my choice," he added.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma is set to miss the first Test as he welcomed his second child recently and requested BCCI to join the team after the first Test. In his absence, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah is primed to lead the side on November 22. Moreover, a record 85,000 plus spectators are bracing to watch the game live at Optus Stadium on Day 1. 

India's squad for Border-Gavaskar Series:

Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.