Twitter shocked after India ignore Ashwin for the fourth time in a row in England

Here’s how Twitter reacted to India’s decision of ignoring Ravichandran Ashwin in the fourth Test against England at The Oval. Ashwin is yet to play a match in this England series as India decided to prefer Ravindra Jadeja as the lone spinning option.

Twitter was shocked after India once again decided not to include off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in their XI. Ashwin was kept waiting to get his first opportunity in this England series as India preferred Ravindra Jadeja as the lone spinning option, mainly due to his superior batting abilities in the all-important fourth Test match at The Oval. India made two changes to their XI that lost in the Headingley Test but what surprised many was Ashwin was not among those who came into the Indian side on Thursday.

Twitter shocked after India ignore Ashwin for fourth time in a row in England (AP)

India decided to bring in seamers Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav in place of Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami as Virat Kohli continued to back his four-seamers theory.

India vs England 4th Test Day 1 Live score

Twitter users expressed their dismay after not seeing Ashwin, who is not only India’s premier spinner but also the highest wicket-taker among active spinners of the world. To top it all, Ashwin also has five Test hundreds to his name, which bears testimony to his batting abilities in the longest format of the game.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to India’s decision of not picking Ashwin in the fourth Test against England at The Oval

Kohli said that playing Jadeja helps in maintaining the balance of the side.

"England got four left-handers and we thought it is a good matchup for Jadeja," India captain Virat Kohli said. "It fits perfectly for our team, plus the balance he's giving us with the bat."

The hosts, who levelled the five-test series 1-1 with an innings victory in the third match at Headingley, welcomed back all-rounder Chris Woakes and middle-order bat Ollie Pope.

Sam Curran was left out, while wicketkeeper Jos Buttler missed the match to attend the birth of his second child.

Jonny Bairstow will keep wickets in Buttler's absence.

"We're going to try and make use of the overhead conditions, it looks like a nice morning for bowling," Root said at the toss.

England XI: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (captain), Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson

India XI: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj