I would've played Ravichandran Ashwin alongside Ravindra Jadeja at The Oval: Salman Butt

After missing out on selection for the first three Tests, Ravichandran Ashwin was kept out of the Indian team from the fourth Test as well. As the match was supposed to be played at The Oval in London, a lot of fans had expected that Ashwin would play. This was based on the fact that the Oval wicket historically gives some assistance to the spinners. 

However, as England captain Joe Root won the toss and decided to bowl first on a slightly overcast day, Indian skipper Virat Kohli revealed that the Indian side had decided to stick to their four seamers attack for even the fourth Test. Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt decided to talk about Ashwin’s exclusion from the XI. 

Butt explained why he would have played Ashwin alongside Ravindra Jadeja. After the third Test, in the post-match presentation, Kohli seemed to suggest that playing two spinners together can be a problem for him to manage his bowlers. Butt though had reasons why he would have actually used Ashwin, and how he thinks the Tamil Nadu spinner would have been useful.  

You have to play Ashwin when you need him to take wickets: Salman Butt

“You see you have to play Ashwin when you need him to take wickets. You can’t think who is scoring runs and who is not. I would have gone with two spinners. And see, when there is moisture on the pitch, it doesn’t mean you can’t bring him early. He can bowl on the wicket with moisture as well. He can get some grip from the surface and the ball can slide as well,” Butt said on his Youtube channel. 

Explaining how the dukes’ ball behaves in England, Butt highlighted why India should have used Ashwin in the Oval Test. “The new ball will also have the lacquer. The seam on the duke’s ball is prominent as well and when it pitches on the moist wicket, it will grip. With the bounce, the ball will turn slow, which is difficult to adjust for the batsmen. So, I would have played him,” Butt added. 

The former Pakistan skipper further said that Kohli would have taken the call considering everything. He also said that the Indian skipper understands the strengths and weaknesses of the side and will manage the team better.