India surprised everyone by selecting Washington Sundar as their only spinner rather than R Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja. Not surprising given Washington’s recent performance in the home series versus New Zealand, but unanticipated if historical performance is taken into account. A few days ago, Ashwin’s pick appeared to be the most likely one.
Ashwin had starred in his last Australian series and was particularly successful against Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith. Naturally, Sundar performed admirably against New Zealand, outbowling his better renowned teammates. However, it had arrived on tracks that had made the turn easier.
In addition, he had pocketed a couple of dreamlike dismissals, twisting off and middle to peg back the off stump of confused batsman. Even those deliveries, however, might have been construed differently. He might have been the only spinner on a turner who could find the stumps even though he pitched the ball on the middle-ish line since he spins less than the others.
In order to get the ball past the off stump, the others were getting it. Will the ball travel nearly straight or will he be able to accomplish that on a track in Perth? Sundar’s batting prowess and ability to extract bounce from his action would have also been taken into account when making the pick.
The track in Perth is intriguing. Spice and carry were discussed before the game, but on Thursday, match eve, ground crew mused that they weren’t entirely sure how much pace and bounce it would have due to some rain in the days before.
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With Rohit Sharma on paternity leave and Shubman Gill out with a fractured finger, India’s top order has been exposed, and the issue has become worse. Abhimanyu Eashwaran, the initial selection for opener, hasn’t performed up to par in Australia’s “A” and side games thus far. Additionally, they had to add Devdutt Padikkal to the team and starting lineup at the last minute.
However, Ashwin’s conflict with Smith will be missed. They played the ODI leg first the last time, and Smith claimed to have found his “hands” at the end. Interestingly, Ashwin had specifically targeted their hands during the Tests.
Test recalls a picture from the last boxing day. Smith did not bind his hands when the first ball spun violently down his thigh. Smith was forced to lunge when the next dropped on a length that was around middle-and-leg. You wouldn’t notice a difference if you took a moment to remove the two players, Photoshopping in Harbhajan Singh and Ricky Ponting.
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The ball was launched into the air from a shade outside to its final destination by the seam towards the leg-gully, the tearing side-spin, and the door-knob turn of the wrist at release. Smith’s hands strayed into places from which he was unable to quickly remove them, possibly because to the trajectory’s allure. The edge also held.
It will be intriguing to observe what strategies Sundar devises for individuals such as Smith and Labuschagne. After years of close observation, former Tamil Nadu coach WV Raman informed this newspaper that he views Sundar more as an all-rounder than a spinner.
He should be considered a batting all-rounder in the longer format. He needs to be in the starting lineup. Down the order in a red ball, he is a waste. He won’t score thirty runs while taking five wickets. It makes sense that your role is different and your top order is loaded in the white-ball. However, he can give you 10–12 overs a day and has the ideal technique to bat in the top five in the longer format, particularly abroad. In Test cricket, he ought to be regarded as a batting all-rounder. Now, on a bright day in Perth, Australia, he receives the big offer.
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Shubhangi Gupta is a distinguished content writer and the visionary founder of The Unpleasant – Acha Nahi Sabse Sacha. With a Master’s degree in Commerce from University of Lucknow, Shubhangi has seamlessly blended her academic background with her passion for reading and writing, embarking on a successful career as a content writer since 2019.
