'Why no Ashwin?' - Twitter raises concerns over India's playing XI for Lord's Test

India have once again with their four seamers and one spinner template.

By Aditya Gajanan Kukalyekar verified

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Ravichandran Ashwin
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Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: BCCI)

After rain spoiled the party on the final day of the first Test between England and India, the two teams once again locked horns in the second game of the five-match series. Virat Kohli’s record to lose the toss continued in the seventh consecutive Test in England and his counterpart Joe Root had no hesitation to bowl first at Lord’s.

The rain delayed the toss for 20 minutes and the overhead conditions along with the pitch also must have played the part in his decision. Once it was confirmed that Shardul Thakur was ruled out of the Lord’s Test, all eyes were on India’s playing XI, which isn’t a surprise now, and many thought the premier off-spinner Ravi Ashwin will finally get to play after missing the first Test.

However, the visitors stunned everyone once again. They included the lanky pacer Ishant Sharma as their fourth seamer to replace Thakur. While speaking to the media before the match, Kohli had said that they have the strongest batting line-up and he was also happy with the way the tail batted in the last Test. He even stated that the team doesn’t feel that they are a batsman short.

Will Jadeja pick wickets?

The forecast 24 hours before was all sunny in London but the unexpected weather in England hit the Test match just before the toss. Many reckoned that spin will play a role and for the first time in the summer, the hosts also included a spinner in Moeen Ali. Not that the visitors have gone with the all-pace attack, but Ravindra Jadeja isn’t a wicket-taking option according to the experts and Ravi Ashwin should’ve played.

Interestingly, the off-spinner has been in the form of his life even while playing away from home as well. But somehow at the moment, Ashwin is not fitting into the template of four seamers and one spinner. Jadeja can bat at six or seven and being the better batsman is giving him an edge currently. But it will be interesting if India will miss their best spinner as the Test match progresses. Meanwhile, the fans and cricket experts were surprised again to not see Ashwin in the playing XI.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

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