Jadeja or Ashwin? Gautam Gambhir picks lone spinner for AUS vs IND 1st Test

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has decided to go with R. Ashwin instead of Ravindra Jadeja for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, set to begin on November 22 in Perth. According to a report by The Indian Express, Ashwin will be the only spinner in the playing XI.

R Ashwin Record in Australia

R Ashwin has played 10 matches in Australia, picking up 39 wickets at an average of 42.15. While his numbers aren’t the best, his outstanding performance in the 2020-21 series will give him hope for a better showing this time around.

Perth Pitch to assist fast bowlers

The Optus Stadium Perth pitch is expected to offer considerable seam movement and extra bounce, making it a seam-friendly surface. This has influenced Gambhir’s decision to include three pacers and Nitish Kumar Reddy as the pace-bowling all-rounder, with Ashwin the sole spinner to lead the charge.

India Playing XI combination in focus

India has been hit hard by injuries ahead of the series. Shubman Gill will miss the first Test due to a fractured thumb, and Yashasvi Jaiswal is nursing a neck sprain. Although KL Rahul has recovered from his injury, the absence of Rohit Sharma leaves India’s top order looking inexperienced.

After a tough defeat against New Zealand, India faces immense pressure to win the series 4-0 to qualify for the World Test Championship final. With key players sidelined and an untested top order, India will have to deliver a strong performance against Australia to stay in the hunt.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar

Australia Squad: Pat Cummins (C), Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

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