Courtesy: BCCI
Ravichandran Ashwin, the Indian spin bowler, is reportedly set to play the first Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Friday, November 22. Notably, this will be his first Test appearance for Ravichandran Ashwin in Perth, where the pitches are very friendly for the pacers, during his fourth tour to Australia in the last 13 years as far as the longest format of the game is concerned.
In his 10 Test appearances for India in Australia, Ravichandran Ashwin has picked up 39 wickets at an average of 42.15, which isn’t quite the best for his calibre of the bowler he is. But, the off spinner has been an integral part for India’s last two Test series wins in Australia, both with a margin of 2-1 after four Test matches, while his batting exploits, especially the one in Sydney in 2021, can’t be taken for granted either.
Nitish Kumar Reddy set to debut for India as seam bowling all-rounder against Australia in first BGT Test
As per the report from Cricbuzz, Ravichandran Ashwin could be the lone frontline spinner for India in the upcoming first Test of the BGT in Perth, with seam bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy set to debut alongside three out and out pacers. This could possibly mean that Ravindra Jadeja, who has been a preferred spin bowling all-rounder in overseas Tests in SENA countries, might have to wait for his opportunity later in the series.
Moreover, just a day ago, Ravichandran Ashwin was scheduled to attend a press conference on Wednesday, November 20, but he instead opted to go to the nets and bowl. The 38-year-old also had a chat with the pitch curator Isaac McDonald at the Optus Stadium in Perth before he went back to the nets to have a bat, which might be just as big a role in conditions expected to favour the pacers in the first Test.
