Despite winning the Player of the Series award in the New Zealand series, R Ashwin can't be sure of a place in the XI the next time India play a Test match.
After missing out on four Tests in England earlier this year, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took 14 wickets to take his best wicket at home and won his 9th Player of the Series award. Ashwin took six wickets in the drawn Kanpur Test against New Zealand and improved to 8 in Mumbai, where India won by 372 runs and went on to win the series 2–1.
At the same time, Ashwin also achieved some impressive feats, including becoming India's third-highest wicket-taker, taking 50 wickets in a year and taking 300 Test wickets at home. And yet, the off-spinner may not be sure of a place in the XI the next time India play a Test match, starting against South Africa in Johannesburg on December 26.
After Ashwin's exit from the England Test, former England pacer Steve Harmison feels he is not sure whether the spinner will be at the Wanderers Stadium or not, saying what is going on in Kohli's mind, no one can read Harmison said Kohli will do what he feels is the best composition for his team, even if it means dropping an in-form Ashwin from the playing XI in place of the fourth pacer.
"The problem I face in predicting this Indian side is... there is logic and then Kohli's idea of what the team should be. Who would have thought that Ashwin would have missed so much cricket against England? What Virat wants That you can never do... what is he trying to do or his thinking process," Harmison said on his YouTube channel.
"What do you think the 2 youngsters of Iyer and Agarwal will be going to South Africa to score 100 in this series, I won't be surprised if Rahane and Pujara play and I won't be surprised if Ashwin doesn't. Play."
The former England pacer also weighed in on the possibility of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel continuing in his place. Jadeja took four wickets and scored a half-century in Kanpur, while Patel also took five wickets in the first Test. While Harmison isn't sure about the letter, he is confident that Jadeja will find a place in the squad he brings to the table with both bat and ball.
"Jadeja is important to this team and Pant is at No. 6 and 7. Even though Axar can bat and Ashwin too. But Jadeja bats well at 7 and I still think for another spinner There is space. The skill level for Ashwin is as good as any seam bowler will bowl on a wicket suited to any seam," Harmison said.
"But this guy is so skilled, so subtle and can create so much pressure that even your fourth seamer can't be as dangerous as R Ashwin. And then you pick your three fast bowlers, who for me would be Shami, Bumrah and Siraj. "