‘Why play him?’: R Ashwin slams India’s choice, questions this cricketer’s place in XI | Cricket News

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the rationale behind together with Nitish Kumar Reddy in India’s taking part in XI throughout the just lately concluded second Test towards the West Indies. Although India gained the collection convincingly, whitewashing the West Indies 2-0, Reddy’s involvement in the matches was minimal. He bowled simply 4 overs in the primary Test and didn’t bowl a single over in the second, regardless of West Indies posting 390 in their second innings. Captain Shubman Gill selected to not hand him the ball at any stage. Speaking on his YouTube channel, “Ash ki Baat,” Ashwin expressed his considerations, suggesting that the crew might have opted for both a specialist batter or a confirmed all-rounder like Axar Patel as an alternative. “If this is Nitish Reddy’s role, I feel you can play a specialist batter or a bowler. You could play Axar Patel. What less has he done? He has been a match-winner,” Ashwin stated. He additional questioned the logic of choosing an all-rounder who contributes so little with the ball. “When does Nitish Reddy come into play? I am not saying you need an extra bowler; if not, then play a specialist batter only. Axar has done much better than Nitish in this role,” he added. Ashwin additionally highlighted Axar’s strengths, particularly towards spin. “Axar Patel has the best defence against spin. So, if you’re not using him, especially when you have Siraj, Bumrah, and a second seamer, then Nitish can play for batting depth. Otherwise, I don’t see the point. Nitish is a fine batter, but there could be a bit more clarity on his role,” he famous. Looking on the numbers, Axar has performed 14 Tests for India, scoring 646 runs at a mean of 35.88, together with 4 fifties, and has taken 55 wickets at a mean of 19.34. Nitish, alternatively, has featured in 9 Tests, scoring 386 runs at 29.69 with one century, and has claimed eight wickets at 39.62.