Mohinder Amarnath Feels Ravindra Jadeja is 'Best Bet' If Ashwin is Not Fit for Southampton Test

Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin proved his worth in overseas conditions in the opening Test against England at Edgbaston. He has never been a wicket-taker in the conditions outside Asia. For the fourth Test, we could witness his old bowling partner Ravindra Jadeja in the penultimate Test. Mohinder Amarnath believes Jadeja has the best role to play.

However, his variations were enough to deceive the English batters in the opening Test. He bagged seven wickets in the match, and the English batters found it challenging to cope against his variations. Ashwin sustained an injury during the 3^rd Test.

Hence Ashwin might be on the sidelines for the fourth Test slated to start from Thursday (August 30). There is a possibility that Jadeja might play his first Test in the ongoing series.

Former Indian batsman Mohinder Amarnath stated that if Ashwin is not fit then, Ravindra Jadeja should be the best bet for India going into another must-win Test in Southampton.

Ravichandran Ashwin will be in the scheme of things for the fourth Test:

“Despite his injury, Ashwin will be in the scheme of things for the fourth Test. Should he not be able to play, Ravindra Jadeja is the best bet to replace him,” Times of India column quoted Amarnath.

“It was a remarkable recovery by the Indian team in Nottingham. They showed they are at par with England and once again it was the captain, Virat Kohli, who played the main role. India was superb as a unit, but you can only win when you have run on the board, so the boys should take a leaf out of the captain’s book,” he added.

“Once he occupies the crease, he is always looking for runs. He reminds me of Viv Richards, who would do the same thing. I’ve never seen anyone playing with so much authority, and so consistently. He is a match-winner. Whenever he performs India has always done well,” Amarnath wrote.

“I don’t know how the pitch at Southampton will play. There will probably be some grass since England know that the Indians play spin much better. To be honest, the pitch doesn’t matter much. As Virat showed, it doesn’t matter where you play, or under what conditions, you just have to go and perform,” Mohinder Amarnath added.

“As for the opening combination, I was glad to see Shikhar Dhawan back. He did look a bit vulnerable but who is not when you play in England? Barring Virat, the others have struggled, and on both sides. Shikhar and KL Rahul may not have scored very many runs, but they gave India the necessary start,” Amarnath opined while praising the India openers.

“The bowlers also did a wonderful job. Bumrah bowled a magnificent spell in the second innings when the pitch was not really offering much help. Pandya’s spell in the first was crucial. The seamers have been absolutely fantastic, were moving the ball much more and looked sharper than England’s bowlers,” Amarnath said.

India will be hopeful of another victory especially after a resounding win at Trent Bridge. They played some fantastic brand of cricket. It was an all-round performance which will give the visiting team a lot of confidence going into the next Test starting tomorrow.