India Assistant Coach On Dropping Washington: ‘Ash Is More Likely To Get Wickets In These Conditions’ – News18
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Ryan ten Doeschate revealed R Ashwin was preferred over Washington Sundar because the Indian team management reckoned the senior off-spinner would be more effective on the Adelaide Oval surface
Ravichandran Ashwin made run-a-ball 22 with the bat in the first innings (AP)
India made three changes for the second Test between India and Australia of the five-match series for the Boarder-Gavaskar Trophy at the Adelaide Oval on Friday. Regualar skipper Rohit Shamra, Shubman Gill and Ravichandran Ashwin returned to the playing XI, replacing Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar.
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate revealed at the post-day press conference that the rationale behind opting for the seasoned Ashwin rather than the ‘in-form’ Washington was that the Indian team management reckoned the senior off-spinner would be more effective on the Adelaide Oval surface.
Also, Ashwin’s record in pink-ball Tests helped him pip Ravindra Jadeja and Sundar in the playing XI.
Australia dominated the opening day’s play and reached 86/1 at stumps after bowling out India for 180 in their first innings, making a strong comeback following the 295-run hammering they received at the hands of the visitors in the series opener at Perth.
India vs Australia: 2nd Test Day 1 – HIGHLIGHTS
“Yeah, Washy hasn’t put a foot wrong since he’s come into the fold, halfway through that New Zealand series… I guess the thinking going into the last Test, we wanted to strengthen the batting,” ten Doeschate said at the post-day press conference.
“And given what we saw of Nitish (Kumar Reddy) in the first Test, we kind of thought we’d go with what we perceived to be the guys bowling the best spin at the moment. And we feel Ash is more likely to get wickets in these conditions.”
“When you get the confidence of Nitish batting at 7, it doesn’t really matter with Ash batting at 8. And that was the thinking. Not much to choose between them. And we just thought that Ash would be slightly more effective on this wicket,” he added.
Nitish’s Very High Ceiling
The assistant coach was full of praise for 21-year-old all-rounder Reddy, who stood out with his solid knock on the first day and dragged India to 180.
“We are so chuffed with him. From the prep week in Perth, where he looked like he still needed to figure things out, the way he worked in Perth and the game plans he implemented in Perth, to get crucial runs there, I think to get us to 150 in that first game was amazing.
“Just the way he’s gone about his work here. It’s obviously the first pink ball game he’s playing in. There’s still a little bit of work to do. He’s very raw. But for a young kid, a 21-year-old, to come out like that and play three innings of the quality he has, it’s super exciting.
“There’s obviously a chat about Washy not playing. But he’s done everything a young player could do in a very short space of time. And we think he’s got a very high ceiling.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
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