‘Would have always kept him in the line-up’ – Anjum Chopra expresses disappointment over R Ashwin’s WTC final exclusion

Team India endured a crushing 209-run defeat at the hands of Pat Cummins’ Australia in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final at The Oval in London. Following the loss, fans and members of the cricketing fraternity outlined the flaws in the setup as many were left flabbergasted with veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s exclusion.

Likewise, former India women’s skipper Anjum Chopra expressed her disappointment over the exclusion of Ashwin from the playing XI in the crucial clash. Anjum highlighted that the spinner cannot be sidelined, especially in a high-octane clash, regardless of the conditions.

“Absolutely! I definitely felt that. In fact, my playing XI did have (Ravichandran) Ashwin there. I’m not saying that you can’t play four pacers, it’s nothing of that sort, but I always felt that irrespective of the conditions, had India lost the toss and we were asked to bat, we would have struggled to think, ‘Oh! Now what do we do?’ I’m pretty sure that the team management thought through the decision,” Anjum told News18.

“As a player, I would have always kept Ashwin in that line-up, just because, I think he is a quality bowler and irrespective of the conditions, he can deliver the goods. And he’s absolutely in isolation, just looking at his skill level and the records the Indian team has had with him in the playing XI,” she added.

Considering the wicket at The Oval in the solitary Test for the coveted mace, team India’s think tank decided to go with four specialist pacers in Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, and Shardul Thakur and a lone spinner in Ravindra Jadeja.

Notably, Ashwin is India’s leading wicket-taker against Australia in Tests, as he has 114 scalps in 22 appearances with seven five-wicket hauls, three four-fors and one ten-wicket haul. The off-spinner is also the No. 1 bowler in ICC’s Test bowling rankings. Meanwhile, after a rare month-long break, India will head to the West Indies for a multi-format series in July.