IND vs AUS Replacement of R. Ashwin for Melbourne Test: Three matches have been played in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The third test match was played in Gabba. Which was a draw. Now the fourth test match is to be played at Melbourne Cricket Ground from 26 December to 30 December. The five-match Test series being played between India and Australia is currently tied at 1-1. After the Gabba Test was drawn, 38-year-old experienced all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has retired from international cricket.
Ravichandran Ashwin was part of the team for the Australia tour. Ashwin was also included in the playing 11 for the Adelaide Test. Now after Ashwin’s retirement, discussion has started on who will fill the void of Ashwin in the team. Are Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja enough for the remaining two matches of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 or can Akshar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav be called.
Who will fill the void of Ashwin?
Team India has already included three spinners on the tour, which include Ravichandran Ashwin, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja. Sundar has proved his usefulness in Perth and Jadeja in Brisbane. In the three Test matches held so far, the strategy of playing only one spinner has been adopted. In such a situation, the possibility of calling a new player in place of Ashwin is very less.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir has already preferred Washington Sundar over Ravichandran Ashwin. In such a situation, either Sundar or Ravindra Jadeja can play this role in the Boxing Day Test. There is no need to call Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav, because the team already has enough options.
India’s boxing day test team
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Rohit Sharma (captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Mohammed Siraj, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Devdutt. Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja, Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep.
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