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‘He’s skilful enough to put in a match-winning performance’: Laxman names IND bowler who can put pressure on ENG batters
Laxman opined that India must have Ashwin in the team for the second Test, stating that the presence of the off-spinner will add depth to India’s bowling attack.
Former India batsman VVS Laxman has put his weight behind the selection of Ravichandran Ashwin for the second Test against England which begins from August 12 at Lord’s.
Ashwin getting benched for the first Test raised quite a few eyebrows as the off-spinner has been in a rich vein of form lately. The Indian think tank preferred Ravindra Jadeja in the playing XI that had four fast bowlers.
While speaking with ESPN Cricinfo, Laxman opined that India must have Ashwin in the team for the second Test, stating that the presence of the off-spinner will add depth to India’s bowling attack.
“I would definitely draft in R Ashwin into the playing XI. It will add depth to the Indian bowling and also versatility and different options to the captain. Irrespective of what the weather forecast or the conditions, Ashwin is a more than capable bowler,” Laxman told Cricinfo.
“He is skilful enough to perform, not only perform but to put in a match-winning performance and put pressure on the English batters,” he added.
Laxman further opined that captain Kohli would give another chance to Shardul Thakur who played a key role with the bowl but couldn’t contribute with the bat. The former cricketer said either one of Ashwin or Thakur would be an ideal selection but his personal preference would be the off-spinner.
“I think it is very clear that Virat Kohli wants to give a lot more responsibility to Shardul Thakur. I thought, even though he did not get runs with the bat, I thought in the limited opportunities he got as a bowler, he's got some important wickets. Either of the selection will be spot on and will be good, but for my liking I would love to see Ashwin in the team,” Laxman said.
