The Indian national cricket team has fielded a home Test playing XI without experienced spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for the first time in almost 16 years. This match ends a remarkable streak of 69 consecutive home Tests in which at least one of the two spin greats featured for the Men in Blue.
The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan begins on Saturday, June 6 at the Maharaja Yadvendra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. Team India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bat first. Meanwhile, Rajasthan all-rounder Manav Suthar made his Test debut for the hosts.
India fielded home Test XI without Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja
India fielded a home Test playing XI without Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for the first time in almost 16 years during the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur. It marked the end of a long-standing era that defined India’s dominance in domestic situations.
This match also signaled the beginning of change in India’s spin department. Ashwin has retired from international cricket, while Jadeja was rested for the Afghanistan Test. The team management used this opportunity to assess the young spin options and strengthen India’s future bowling reserves.
After becoming regular members of the team, Ashwin and Jadeja formed one of the most successful spin partnerships in Test cricket. During the 69 home Tests that included at least one Test, India won 49 matches and lost only 11.
India’s last home test without Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja
The last time India played a home Test without both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja was in November 2010 against New Zealand in Nagpur. At that time, no spinner had made his Test debut. Ashwin made his Test debut in 2011, while Ravindra Jadeja made his Test debut a year later in 2012.
The Indian team looked very different at that time. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were the key members of the batting lineup, while Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were yet to make their Test debut for India.
Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha led India’s spin attack in that Nagpur Test. India dominated the match, bowling out New Zealand for 193 and 175 runs and winning by an innings and 198 runs. Rahul Dravid scored 191 runs, while the bowlers combined to seal a comprehensive win.
Preparation has been good – Shubhman Gill
India captain Shubman Gill expressed confidence in the team’s preparations ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan. Gill said that the players are fully rested and ready for the challenge.
“The preparation has been good. Had a good few days of sleep. Then after nine Test matches, we’ve got a lot of home Test matches.”
Sai Sudarshan retained the No. 3 batting position ahead of Devdutt Padikkal. The team management also chose Manav Suthar in place of Harsh Dubey. Suthar joins a bowling attack that includes Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.
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