'He's a class bowler and you can't keep him out of the XI': Laxman surprised over R Ashwin's omission from 1st Test

Former batsman VVS Laxman expressed surprise over India's decision to leave off-spinner R Ashwin out of the playing XI for the first Test against England.

Former batsman VVS Laxman expressed surprise over India's decision to leave off-spinner R Ashwin out of the playing XI for the first Test against England. India captain Virat Kohli decided to go with four fast bowlers in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakur, while Ravindra Jadeja was the lone spinner.

VVS Laxman was one of the many surprised over the omission of R Ashwin. (Getty Images)

Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Laxman admitted it was a move he did not see coming as Ashwin had performed splendidly in overseas conditions lately. He had troubled Steve Smith during the Test series in Australia earlier this year and picked up five wickets in the final of the World Test Championship in June. What made the omission even more surprising was that Ashwin was coming off a five-wicket-haul for Surrey against Somerset in a County Championship match.

"I always felt that Ravichandran Ashwin is a very skillful bowler and what we have seen recently with his overseas performance, they have been brilliant. When India beat Australia in Australia, the way he go rid of Steve Smith consistently shows how confident he is. When I see the team here, they have gone with Shardul Thakur, probably as a medium-pace option who can also provide some depth in batting," Laxman told the website.

"But for me, if you’re picking a bowler who can bat at No. 8, I would go for someone who can give me match-winning performances, and that will be R Ashwin. I would have gone with the balance which the Indian team had for the WTC final. I don’t know why Virat Kohli and the team management went with this team combination. The only logic I see in this is that Thakur can bat and the way he bowled in Brisbane. I just feel for R Ashwin. He is a class bowler and you can’t keep him out of the Playing XI."

Laxman argued that Ashwin deserved a place in the XI purely on the basis of what he brings to the table, and that the off-spinner should have been one of the four bowlers, along with Jadeja as the all-rounder. The former India batsman pointed out that Ashwin is the kind of bowler who just cannot be left out of the Playing XI irrespective of situations.

"I don’t give too much value to someone who is batting at 8. I would be going with four top-class wicket-taking bowlers, and then at No. 7, I’ll have my all-rounder who can chip in either with the bat or ball. And that all-rounder is Ravindra Jadeja," Laxman added.

"Ashwin has shown over the last couple of years that he is a match-winner by putting pressure on the best of batsmen. The way he troubled Steve Smith on flat wickets shows how much confidence he has got."