The fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy between India and England has reached an exciting turn at the Oval.
But in the meantime, former Indian off-spinner R Ashwin has launched a scathing attack on captain Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir.
Ashwin has accused both of them of lack of awareness towards the game, due to which India is lagging behind in this series.
Ashwin openly said on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat,
“Coming back to the issue of spinners not being used, I have felt in this series that there has been a lack of game awareness, and in many ways, our tactical acumen has been lacking too – both on and off the field. That’s the primary reason England are ahead in this series and India are lagging behind. We haven’t been quick enough.”
Why were spinners not used properly?
Ashwin believes that Gill and Gambhir made mistakes in making strategy in this Test. Especially, when England batsmen Joe Root and Harry Brook scored brilliant centuries and made a partnership of 195 runs, India did not bring the spinners early.
Ashwin said,
“When Harry Brook started getting aggressive after 20 runs, you could’ve brought a spinner to stem the run flow. From the other end, a pacer could’ve bowled. Keeping all this in mind, Washington Sundar could’ve been brought into the attack earlier.”
He further said, “Making such mistakes creates a huge difference. We don’t know if the message is getting through from the outside to the middle. We don’t know what’s being discussed in the dressing room. But in today’s day and age, these mistakes can surely be avoided.”
IND vs ENG: Exciting state of the match
On the fourth day, the game stopped early due to rain and poor light. England now need only 35 runs to win, while India need four wickets.
Joe Root scored 105 runs off 152 balls and Harry Brook scored 111 runs off 98 balls to put England in a strong position. But Ashwin says that if spinners were used at the right time, then perhaps India could have avoided this situation.
Expressing confidence in Gill’s captaincy,
Ashwin said, “I think Shubman Gill will get better as a captain. He will learn. But sometimes, if you think you can play spin really well, you may not bring spinners into the attack. And when you miss the right time to bring spinners in these conditions, they become a defensive option.”
For now, it remains to be seen whether India will be able to perform a miracle on the last day, or England will win the series.
