WI vs IND | Ravichandran Ashwin no longer go-to man in overseas tours, says Harbhajan Singh
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Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has defended India's decision to drop Ravi Ashwin for the Antigua Test, stating that he is no longer the country's go-to man in overseas conditions. Harbhajan also pointed at the off-spinner's shortcomings in previous tours as the reason for his exclusion.
Eyebrows were raised when Virat Kohli announced India's playing XI for the first Test against the Windies, as veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was left out of the team in favour of Ravindra Jadeja. The decision came under criticism from several former greats including Sunil Gavaskar, who lashed out at the Indian team, calling the decision "astonishing".
However, Harbhajan Singh has now come forward and voiced his opinion about Ashwin's exclusion, stating that he is no longer India's go-to man in overseas Tests. He also said that there were several instances where Ashwin failed miserably away from home, singling out the Southampton Test in 2018 where the Indian was out-bowled by England's Moeen Ali.
“If you see, there have been instances when Ashwin failed miserably in overseas conditions. For example, in the fourth Test against England in Southampton in 2018, Moeen Ali finished with a match-haul of nine wickets whereas Ashwin had three wickets in the match," Harbhajan told Telegraph, reported Hindustan Times.
“Both are finger spinners, but with different performances. My hunch is that the team management feels when it comes to overseas tours, Ashwin is no longer the go-to man," he added.
He also suggested that Ashwin's declining fitness might have also prompted Kohli to take the decision, as recently in the tour of Australia last year, the off-spinner broke down after the first Test in Adelaide.
“If you see during the Australia tour (in 2018-19), he got injured after the first Test but the team management kept him in the squad, hoping against hope he would recover. He could not," Harbhajan said.
"These things weigh a lot when it comes to choosing a first XI. Don’t forget, the Antigua Test is the first we are playing since the Sydney Test in January,” he added.
Harbhajan played 103 Tests for India, claiming 417 wickets in the process. His last Test for the country was against Sri Lanka at Galle in 2015.
