‘Haa Sena countries me aise bhi uski koi jarurat nhi’ – Fans react as India drop Ravichandran Ashwin from Playing XI in WTC finals against Australia

India is squaring off against Australia in the finals of the World Test Championship 2023 at the iconic Kennington Oval Cricket Ground. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first, considering the overcast conditions and greenish pitch. However, India made a surprising move by picking Ravindra Jadeja as the sole spinner in the Playing XI.

Many former cricketers and fans expected India to leave out leading off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin from the XI owing to pitch conditions and the forecast of overcast weather in London for the entire five-day Test. During the toss, Rohit was asked about how team management decided to drop the ‘world’s no.1 Test bowler.’ Rohit admitted that it was a tough decision but had to take it.

“It’s always tough. He’s been a match-winner for us, over many years. So, leaving him out was tough. But you got to do the things that are needed for the team. So, eventually, we came up with that decision,” Rohit told host Nasser Hussain at the toss. “The conditions and also the weather being overcast. The pitch won’t change too much. Four seamers and one spinner. The spinner is Jadeja,” said Rohit further.

Will India be able to chase in the high-octane game?

After opting to field first, India has included Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav, and Shardul Thakur as pace options. Meanwhile, Jadeja is another all-rounder with a spin bowling option. On the other hand, Wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat has retained his place over Ishan Kishan and Ajinka Rahane made a comeback to the Playing XI.

India will need to bat well in the 2nd and 4th innings as they will chase and there are a lot of chances of rain on the last two days of the game. India, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, is chasing their maiden WTC title as in the last cycle they were defeated by New Zealand by 8 wickets at Southampton in 2021.

Here is how fans react to Ravichandran Ashwin being left out: