A five-match Test series is being played between India and Australia. In the first match played in Perth, Team India won by 295 runs. After the strong performance of the batsmen, the Indian fast bowlers forced Australia to kneel. Now the second match is to be played in Adelaide from December 6. This will be a day-night test or pink ball test. India has played only one day-night Test in Australia before this and in that match played in Adelaide in 2020, Team India had to face a crushing defeat at the hands of the Kangaroos.
The Indian team would like to forget that defeat and make a new beginning. However, the biggest question is what will be the playing-11 of Team India? The return of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill has increased the difficulties of the team management. If both of them play, then a lot of changes will have to be made in the playing-11. In such a situation, will Ravichandran Ashwin get a chance to play, because in the last Test, Washington Sundar was played to strengthen the batting order. Let us look at the performance of Ashwin and other Indian bowlers in SENA countries i.e. South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia.
| Bowlers | Matches | Wickets | Best bowling | 5fers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anil Kumble | 35 | 141 | 8/141 | 5 |
| Ishant Sharma | 41 | 130 | 7/74 | 5 |
| Md. Shami | 34 | 123 | 6/56 | 4 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 27 | 121 | 6/33 | 7 |
| Zaheer Khan | 30 | 119 | 5/29 | 6 |
| Kapil Dev | 35 | 117 | 8/106 | 7 |
| Bishan Singh Bedi | 25 | 90 | 6/127 | 5 |
| Jawagal Srinath | 22 | 89 | 6/76 | 4 |
| Erapalli Prasanna | 20 | 78 | 8/76 | 5 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 25 | 71 | 4/55 | 0 |
| Bhagwath Chandrashekhar | 19 | 71 | 6/38 | 6 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 19 | 62 | 7/120 | 3 |
India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has 536 wickets in Test cricket. However, due to the presence of Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja in the team that toured Australia, it seems very difficult for him to find a place in the playing-11. Considering the pitch that was helpful for fast bowlers in Perth, the team included Sundar instead of Ashwin and experienced Jadeja due to his better batting. If the pitch helps fast bowlers more in the future too, then it will be very difficult for 38-year-old Ashwin to find a place in the team.
| Stats | Against | Grounds | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/55 | Australia | Adelaide | 2020 |
| 4/62 | England | Birmingham | 2018 |
| 4/105 | Australia | Sydney | 2015 |
| 4/113 | South Africa | Centurion | 2018 |
| 3/35 | Australia | Melbourne | 2020 |
Ashwin has not taken five wickets in an innings even once in SENA countries. He has taken 71 wickets in 43 matches in these countries at a strike rate of 83.7. On the other hand, Jadeja has taken 52 wickets in 35 matches at the same strike rate. For the last several years, Jadeja has been getting preference over Ashwin due to better batting skills abroad. He has one century and five half-centuries to his name in these countries. He has scored runs at an average of around 30, while Ashwin has two half-centuries to his name.
Also Read: Top 5 bowlers who took most T20 wickets for Pakistan
Give Your Feedback