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Dinesh Karthik says 'time is ripe' for R Ashwin to be in India XI for Oval Test, gives reasons
The Oval is one venue which offers a lot more to the spinners, with the pitch expected to be good for batting, and Karthik reckons that given the fact that Ashwin recently played at The Oval and picked up a five-wicket-haul in a County Championship game should open the doors for him.
Having being left out of the Playing XI for the first three Tests, this is the ideal time for India to make R Ashwin a part of their team for the fourth Test against England at The Oval starting Thursday, feels veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik.
The Oval is one venue which offers a lot more to the spinners, with the pitch expected to be good for batting, and Karthik reckons that given the fact that Ashwin recently played at The Oval and picked up a five-wicket-haul in a County Championship game should open the doors for him.
"I believe the time is ripe for Ravichandran Ashwin to make his first appearance of the series. Traditionally, the Oval has thrown up some of the flattest pitches in England and it has been no different this season. Three of Surrey’s five matches at home in the County Championship have ended indecisively, and ten hundreds have been registered in those games," Karthik wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
"If I was Virat Kohli, I'd like to bring a new dimension into play in this crucial Test. As Ashwin has shown in his storied career, he hasn’t necessarily relied on assistance from the surface to make an impact."
What works in Ashwin's favour is his astonishing record against left-handers in Test matches. Ashwin is the first bowler to have dismissed left-handed batsman 200 times in Tests and with England expected to have five left-handed batsmen in their line-up, India have all the more reason to finally give their premier off-spinner a go with the series levelled at 1-1.
"England have two left-handers in their top three and three in the top seven. His (the off-spinner's) record against lefties is second to none, and he is more than handy against the right-handers, who he tests with the knuckle ball and the floater that he has mastered through hours of diligent practice away from the harsh spotlight of the international game," Karthik said.
"Like the Australian tracks, the Oval boasts bounce, which is Ashwin's greatest ally away from home. He is willing to try to buy wickets because he is always focused on getting batsmen out."
