India have not selected R Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth, instead picking Washington Sundar. Here's why.
India have gone in with a bowling combination of four pacers and just the lone spinner for this match, with the wicket at the Optus Stadium expected to be quick and bouncy. Two debutants have been named among the quicks – Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana, who have impressed in the IPL, and in Reddy's case, in India colours this year.
India's only spinner is Washington Sundar, who is coming off the back of an excellent couple of home Tests on a personal level. He played in Pune and Mumbai against New Zealand picking up 16 wickets in total.
India leave out R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for Perth Test
India's decision here mean that they will go into the first Test without either of their long-time first-choice spinners in R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Read more: Australia vs India Perth Test, live score and updates
Ashwin and Jadeja are India's preferred pair for the No.7 and No.8 slot in home Test matches, but with conditions generally being more pace-friendly outside the subcontinent, the norm is that only one plays – usually Jadeja.
India have rarely had like-for-like alternates to these two (and have rarely needed those). This is a rare occasion on which they do in Sundar, and his recent excellent form – the aforementioned New Zealand series, as well as a knock of 152 from No.3 in the Ranji Trophy – makes his case for inclusion in the XI.
India won the toss and opted to bat first in the first test.
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) November 22, 2024
Washington Sundar gets the nod as the lone spinner, with no Ashwin or Jadeja in the XI.#RavindraJadeja #RaviAshwin #India #AUSvsIND #Cricket #Tests pic.twitter.com/gh9sYcLkhj
On a wicket that is expected to bounce, Sundar's height could make him more effective than Jadeja, and he has shown so far that he might be an upgrade on Ashwin in the batting department. Uniquely, Sundar also combines two of their attributes – Jadeja's left-handedness in the batting department and Ashwin's off-spin in the bowling department.
Also read: What did Bumrah and Cummins say ahead of the Perth Test?
The one argument against him though, is the lack of experience. Ashwin and Jadeja have been the premier spin bowling all-rounders of their era, over a long period of time while Sundar is still very early in his Test career, having just been recalled nearly four years after his debut (which came on India's last tour of Australia).
The Perth Test will be the first time since Brisbane in January 2021 that India go into a Test match without either one of Ashwin or Jadeja. They were both injured on that occasion, though. It is also only the fifth time since their debuts that India have named neither one in a playing XI. All of these have come on foreign shores, including (now) four in Australia and two in Perth.
India playing XI for first Test against Australia
KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah (c).
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