'He is your best all-format spinner and you don't pick him': Vengsarkar wants investigation into Ashwin's repeated snub

Former captain Dilip Vengsarkar is baffled with R Ashwin's repeated snub from India's Playing XI, with the former BCCI chief selector demanding an investigation into the matter.

Published on: Nov 3, 2021, 12:40:38 IST

By hindustantimes.com, New Delhi

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Former captain Dilip Vengsarkar is baffled with R Ashwin's repeated snub from India's Playing XI, with the former BCCI chief selector demanding an investigation into the matter. Ashwin last played for India in international cricket back in February-March, the Test series against England at home. Since, the veteran spinner has been benched for the all four Test matches in England and despite earning a recall in India's T20 World Cup squad, hasn't featured barring the two warm-up matches.

Dilip Vengsarkar is surprised to see R Ashwin get repeatedly benched.  (Getty Images)

Vengsarkar feels it is astonishing and pointed out that he 'fails to understand' how a spinner of Ashwin's quality with over 600 international wickets can be left out of the XI. Ashwin went wicketless in the first warm-up against England but picked up 2/8 against Australia in the second. And yet, the two spinners India included for the games against Pakistan and England were Ravindra Jadeja and Varun Chakravarthy, something Vengsarkar cannot wrap his head around.

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"Why is Ashwin being so dropped for so long? It is a matter of investigation. Across formats, he is your best spinner with more than 600 international wickets. He is your senior-most spinner and you don't pick him. I fail to understand. He didn't play a single game in the England Test series also. Why do you pick him then? It is a mystery to me," Vengsarkar told PTI.

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Vengsarkar weighed in on India's underwhelming show at the T20 World Cup as Virat Kohli's unit were handed back-to-back defeats against Pakistan and New Zealand. The former India batsman felt the players looked fatigued and completely out of it, so much so that it was the first instance in a long time that he saw Indian players look so off.

"The team looked off coloured and players looked jaded. I don't know if it is the bio bubble fatigue or something else, I have not seen such body language in the players in a long time. It was quite a lacklustre performance, be it in batting or bowling. This format demands you to be energetic from ball one," added Vengsarkar.

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