There has been lot of hue and cry over Ashwin not playing the first couple of tests in England. Yes, Ashwin is the leading wicket taker amongst the current Indian bowlers. He has more than 400 test wickets. He is considered as the best spinner in the world at the moment though I will not agree with that assessment. Anyway, that is for another day. For now, is Kohli justified in keeping Ashwin away? Also, there are reports of a group of 30 young Indian cricketers shifting their base to America. This must not be ignored. Let me try to analyse Ashwin not playing & Indian cricketers travelling to America.
Ashwin’s past is hurting his present
Ashwin is certainly a champion bowler if the pitch suits him. Just a cursory glance at his record will show that he has been dominant in the sub-continent and in West Indies. These are pitches that suit spin bowling and coupled with not so good batters, Ashwin has been destructive to state the least. However, his record in the SENA countries is what is troubling most. Agreed that he has improved recently. His recent showing in Australia where he picked up Smith twice is a case in point. Added to that, his match-saving innings at Sydney. However, it must be noted that Ashwin was never in the mix for that series. If not for Jadeja’s injury, Ashwin would not have played any part in that series. This already makes Ashwin as the second choice spinner in the current team. Having played the series, yes he grabbed the chance with both his hands but that is beside the point.
Kohli has a different mindset
India off late, under Kohli seems to have gravitated towards the faster bowlers to pick up 20 wickets. Kohli has realised the importance of fast bowlers in the SENA countries and as such, he has ensured that they remain fit not just for the session or the day or infact the entire test but for the whole series. As such, his team does not have room for more than one spinner unless the pitch demands more than one. Moreover, Jadeja’s performance as a batter over the last 4 years is nothing short of excellent.
He has more than adequately filled the 6th batter’s role and if required, if there is real assistance for the spinner on day 5, he is quite handy to exploit that. Yet, I do not expect Jadeja to win a test with his bowling away from India.
Kohli must have weighed in the runs that Jadeja is capable of scoring with that of Ashwin’s wicket taking ability and has decided to go with Jadeja. With Kohli himself alongwith Pujara and Rahane struggling for runs, an extra batter is deemed to be essential.
Kohli has seen how India under Dhoni struggled to bowl the opposition out. How the opponents have piled on the runs. The humiliating defeats in Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand have certainly played on his mind. He is quite confident that even if the tail is a bit long for everyone’s liking, the bowlers are capable of restricting the opposition to a score of less than 300. All he wants from the top 6 and Jadeja is a score of 350 which must be gettable on most surfaces.
Case for an allrounder
He showed that at Lord’s but I for one would advise caution. If not Ashwin, it is better to go with one more batter who can bowl or one more bowler who can bat. It can be Ashwin or Shardul or Pandya or Kumar. The batting is lean with the middle order not contributing and India won the test at Lord’s only because of the unexpected runs from the bat of Bumrah and Shami. Whether Kohli will swallow his ego remains to be seen.
Exodus of Indian cricketers
There are reports that a group of 30 Indian cricketers, possibly below the age of 30 have retired from cricket and have or about to move to America to play in the American league. The Indian board does not allow the Indian players to play in other leagues and if anyone wants to, he will have to retire and then join the other league. This list includes Unmukt Chand. The former U19 captain who was thought to be someone who will achieve a lot at the international level. In a country with this much population, 30 may not be substantial but are these just the first drops as the tap is being opened? Is there any guarantee more and more players will not be sucked into plying their wares in America? Wouldn’t that rob India of some of the good players?
For too long, South Africa had this problem of seeing their players moving to England and thereby abandoning South Africa. The Indian board must ensure that similar fate does not befall India. They can arrive at a compromise. Those who are not within earshot of being selected for India, can very well go on to play in other leagues and they do not have to retire. They can play in India and the league. The other method is to maintain multiple teams so that good players can be given a chance to represent India.
Professional sportspersons time is limited
There is nothing wrong in players choosing to move to America. Afterall, they do not know anything outside of the game and as such their shelf life is limited. They will have to make the most out of their limited time being a professional cricketer.
India just cannot afford to lose the services of the talented cricketers. A Chand or a Smit Patel has started the exodus. What if they are followed by Shreyas Iyer or the Pandya brothers or some of the younger lot? The BCCI must be alert to such eventualities and will have to ensure that atleast the top 200-500 cricketers are properly taken care of. Hopefully, BCCI will listen to their grievances.
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