In Stats: Is India Right to Keep Ashwin, Jadeja in the Background?

The two spinners together bowled 10 of the total 110 overs that India bowled in the Kolkata Test.

After playing out an exciting draw in the first Test in Kolkata, the cricket teams of India and Sri Lanka will be back in action on Friday when the second Test begins at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha, Nagpur.

Team India, the top-ranked team in the ICC Test rankings, certainly hold the edge going into the second Test match. Despite being bowled out for a modest 172 in the first innings at Kolkata, Virat Kohli and co rallied back and nearly managed to pull off a win. The visitors were reduced to 75-7 in the fourth innings when bad light came to their rescue and forced a premature end to the Test match.

Having won 10 and drawn 8 of the 18 Tests against Sri Lanka on Indian soil, the hosts will aim to maintain their recent dominance over the visitors and keep intact their undefeated record in home Tests against the opponent.

In all Tests at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha, Nagpur, India has a 3-1 win-loss record in five outings, with wins against South Africa (2015), New Zealand (2010) and Australia (2008).

Team India is certain to make at least two changes to the side that took the field in Kolkata; with Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar opting out for personal reasons, the Indian team is likely to bring in Murali Vijay at the top of the innings and include Ishant Sharma as the third pacer.

Looking Back at Kolkata Test

Looking back, the conditions – overhead, underground and the pitch itself – made for riveting cricket. There was swing, seam movement, pace and bounce – and the fast bowlers consistently kept asking questions of the batsmen. There was never a dull moment when the fast bowlers were running in. The Test match produced some wow stats!

Former players, including legends of the game, self-proclaimed cricket experts, media personalities and cricket fans alike rejoiced at the performance of the Indian fast bowlers and claimed the signs were very encouraging given the impending tour of South Africa.

Reflecting back on the Test match, one has to ask a few questions.

1. Why is there so much focus on the Test series against South Africa, which is more than a month away? Isn’t the Indian cricket team currently engaged in a contest against an international side – isn’t it disrespectful to the opponent itself? If Sri Lanka wasn’t a valued opposition, should the Indian team be playing this series in the first place?
   
2. Was the pitch at the Eden Gardens the ideal surface? Should authorities prepare more such tracks in India? By producing such surfaces loaded in favour of the fast bowlers, aren’t we completely taking out one skill from the game – that of spin bowling? Is it then the ideal surface?
   
3. Yes, the Indian fast bowlers showcased a side we have rarely seen of them. But has anyone asked what consciously asking for ‘green’ surfaces and playing on such lively tracks can do to the morale of India’s top-ranked bowlers? Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin occupy the 3rd and 4th position in the ICC Test match rankings for bowlers and are India’s best bowlers. What effect would it have on the duo, with them reduced to being nearly useless in the context of the match?
   
4. If Indian conditions are doctored to be like conditions in Australia, England or South Africa, then what’s the challenge of touring those countries? If conditions are going to be similar across the world, where’s the spice, where’s the essence of Test cricket?
   
5. By preparing conditions skewed so heavily in favour of one category of players, are teams able to make optimum use of their resources? At the Eden Gardens, Ashwin and Jadeja did not have the opportunity to showcase their skill; the two spinners together bowled a total of 10 overs out of a total of 110 over the Indian team bowled!

In ending, whoever said spinners wouldn’t have a role to play in Test matches in South Africa? Skilled finger spinners like Graeme Swann, Rangana Herath, have all been successful while playing in South African conditions.

According to Indian captain Virat Kohli, the surface in Nagpur appears to be hard underneath, has a nice covering of grass on the surface, and hence expects good carry on the first two days at least. The Indian captain also said he expects the spinners to get something from the surface thereafter.

One hopes that the conditions play true to the Indian captain’s assessment and that the likes of Ashwin and Jadeja aren’t reduced to making up the numbers.

(Breathe In, Breathe Out: Are you finding it tough to breathe polluted air? Join hands with FIT in partnership with #MyRightToBreathe to find a solution to pollution. Send in your suggestions to [e-mail] or WhatsApp @ [phone])