Decision to include Jadeja and Ashwin both won't be easy for Virat Kohli: WV Raman

The Test series between England and India has been quite an eventful affair so far. India secured a thrilling victory in the Lord’s Test whereas England bounced back in the third Test to level the series. However, the exclusion of Ravi Ashwin in the first three Tests has been a hot topic of debate lately.

After India’s loss by an innings and 76 runs, many cricketing experts had suggested playing both Jadeja and Ashwin in the side. Former India cricketer WV Raman is the latest to put his thoughts forward on the same. He explained that the decision for Virat Kohli about picking both Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin will not be straightforward.

“If you play Jadeja and an Ashwin, what are the individual temperaments? For example, my view of them is that Virat can tell Jadeja what he expects from him and perhaps even insist, what I expect from you. Whereas, in the case of Ashwin, he is a guy who likes to be aggressive, go for wickets, and who has his own mind.

“It’s not that Ashwin is not for the team, he is for the team but he has his own way of doing things. Jadeja’s is a different way of doing things,” WV Raman said on Sony Sports during an online media interaction.

There are a lot of things that go into deciding who’s playing and who’s not playing: WV Raman

India’s ace spinner Ashwin hasn’t been included in the playing XI for three straight matches. Jadeja was selected ahead of him as the lone spinner as India went on with the combination of four pacers. However, after Shardul Thakur got injured ahead of the second Test it was assumed that the premier off-spinner might replace him. But India went with the experienced speedster, Ishant Sharma.

WV Raman feels that the skipper will also have to look at the temperament of an individual ahead of the selection. He further pointed that it is not just the numbers alone as there are a lot of things that go under the process of selection of the players.

He added, “So the captain will also look at the temperament of an individual and then assess. So there are a lot of things that go into deciding who’s playing and who’s not playing, it’s not just the numbers alone,” Raman added.