Sourav Ganguly passes huge comment on Virat Kohli not playing Ravi Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav in Antigua Test

Ganguly passes huge comment on Virat Kohli: Former Indian captain was vocal about the current Indian captain’s inconsistent team selection.

During the first day of the first Test of the ongoing India’s tour of West Indies at Antigua, India captain Virat Kohli made a few brave decisions with respect to India’s Playing XI. The development of India taking the field without middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav came as a surprise for many fans.

“We are going with the same side that played in Australia [Sydney]. [Ravichandran] Ashwin, [Wridhhiman] Saha, Kuldeep [Yadav], Rohit [Sharma] and Umesh [Yadav] are not playing,” Kohli was quoted as saying during the toss yesterday.

Big call not to play Ashwin. But not entirely a surprise

— Sambit Bal (@sambitbal) August 22, 2019

Ganguly passes huge comment on Virat Kohli

While Kohli’s comments suited the exclusion of both Sharma and Ashwin, it didn’t do much justice to Kuldeep Yadav, who had registered his second five-wicket haul in the last Test India played in Sydney. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly expressed surprise at Kohli not including Kuldeep Yadav into the XI.

“I was surprised to see Kuldeep Yadav left out because the last Test he played against Australia, he got five wickets in Sydney on a good flat pitch. But [Ravindra] Jadeja also has been in good form, the surface yesterday at Antigua needed three fast bowlers because we saw the seam movement the fast bowlers got and it was a question of the spin,” Ganguly was quoted as saying during a meet and greet session organized by My 11 Circle.

Ganguly also threw light on Ashwin’s record against West Indies. In 11 Tests against West Indies, Ashwin has scored 552 runs at an average of 50.18 including four centuries. Ashwin has also picked 60 wickets against West Indies at an average of 21.85, an economy rate of 21.85 and a strike rate of 43.6.

“[Ravichandran] Ashwin’s record is phenomenal to leave him out in the West Indies, so it’s a decision which [Virat] Kohli has made and we will find out in next couple of days whether how far Jadeja goes on to pick wickets on this surface. You can see that sort of indication from the first day of the Test, we will have to wait to see but that’s the competition of Indian cricket,” Ganguly added.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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