Ravichandran Ashwin declares Shubman Gill a bad bowler’s captain
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Ravichandran Ashwin, the legendary Indian cricketer, has reflected on the fact that Shubman Gill, the current Indian skipper, does not provide many opportunities for the spinners to hunt for wickets.
Whenever it comes to spinners in India, Ravichandran Ashwin is often picked as one of the greatest of the side. He has criticized the current Indian skipper, Shubman Gill, who took over the Indian captaincy from the England tour.
The England tour, however, marked pace-friendly conditions; hence, there was no need to use spinners a lot. But when it came to the West Indies home Tests, Shubman Gill failed to be effective as a true Test leader.
Ravichandran Ashwin highlighted a major flaw in Shubman Gill
Ravichandran Ashwin was one of the modern-day greats of the game for India, while previewing the first Test between India and South Africa. He shed light on Shubman Gill's captaincy and criticized his approach of not allowing spinners enough spells to hunt for wickets in the previous series against the West Indies.
"It is okay for Axar to be there. If there is a rank turner and you want to play a seamer light, he can come in. Remember that his batting in Tests is very underrated. But having that one extra spinner (in 11) will make you rotate the bowlers left and right," said Ravi Ashwin.
"In the last series as well, Shubman Gill's rotation of bowlers was not ideal. He was not giving spinners long spells. You think bowlers will take wickets by rotating in short spells, but Test matches don't work like that. I believe five bowlers will give you ample balance," he said on 'Ash ki Baat.'
Axar Patel will get an opportunity only when Ravindra Jadeja is not there
Ahead of the first Test against South Africa, Ashwin has opined on the fact that India have named Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and lastly Kuldeep Yadav in the Indian squad for the Test tour. He has said that the conditions will influence the selection from among these players.
"It will all depend on the conditions. The ball may not turn a lot. So you have to decide how many spinners you want. The conundrum is that Jadeja is locked, and Kuldeep has to play. Washington will play too. Axar's chance will come only when Jadeja is not there; that is very clear. If you play too many spinners, then rotation will be an issue," he added.
Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel will play in the same Test XI
The South Africa Tests will mark another swift change in the playing XI, as Rishabh Pant makes a much-awaited return to the red-ball format after he was ruled out of the 2-match home series against West Indies. Dhruv Jurel instead replaced Pant in the Indian team.
Rishabh is back in the side and will be slotted in at his regular position at no. 5, and is likely to be followed by Dhruv Jurel at no. 6. Considering Jurel's form, he cannot be neglected, as he scored three centuries in his last 6 first-class innings.
The series kicks off on the 14th of November, and most likely the conditions at the Eden Gardens and Guwahati Stadium are likely to snub Nitish Kumar Reddy of a spot in the XI. Currently, India is third and South Africa is fourth in the WTC points table.
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India National Cricket Team Shubman Gill Ravichandran Ashwin South Africa National Cricket Team India vs South Africa South Africa vs India Ravindra Jadeja Axar Patel Washington Sundar Kuldeep Yadav
