WTC Final: Fans criticize Rohit Sharma for dropping No.1 Test bowler R Ashwin, ‘You will miss his presence’

Team India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field first against Australia in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval on Wednesday. Through the WTC final, both captain Rohit and Pat Cummins are playing their 50th Test match. The winner of the 2023 WTC final will become the first team to win all ICC titles in men’s international cricket.

After winning the toss, Rohit Sharma said that India have chosen Ravindra Jadeja as the only spin option ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin, going in with four pacers in Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur. (Watch live IND vs AUS WTC final action here)

Fans could not keep calm after the announcement of India’s decision to drop the world’s No. 1 bowler in Test cricket. Check out the reactions here:

If India lose, Rohit Sharma will be blamed for not picking Ashwin
If India wins, Kohli to be blamed for choosing Ashwin in WTC final 2021 and not winning ICC trophy
Had India picked Ashwin and Lost, Dhoni would have been praised for picking the right players at the right time.#WTCFinal2023 pic.twitter.com/hqWxnAT0xP— Prakash (@PRAKASHP4D7) June 7, 2023

Vankam Ramesh Anna. Why not ahead of Ashwin Jadeja? Ashwin has more variation than Jadeja and also a capable batsman..Anga Opinion #staraikelungal— Tarun Kumar 45 (@tarun_rohit_45) June 7, 2023

If you give the excuse of circumstances for not picking Ashwin, then even Rohit Sharma cannot play in swinging conditions. He should have dropped himself too. #Vada Paw#INDvsAUS #WTCFinal #Ashwin #WTC2023final— Rohan (@itirohan) June 7, 2023

I don’t understand why India doesn’t play Ashwin in England. The fourth seamer is a journeyman and will go at 5rpo – Sands (@sandspope) June 7, 2023

The pitch favors the fast bowlers but in the final you have to play to your strengths. Typically, Australia’s lineup boasts of a strong pace attack, while India rely on their spinners. India will miss Ravichandran Ashwin in playing-11.#WTC2023 #WTCFinal #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/a2zmfqH03P— Pavara Manupriya (@PavaraManu98) June 7, 2023

Ajinkya Rahane also returned to the Test team in January 2022 after last playing in the format, with KS Bharath as the wicketkeeper-batsman. “The conditions and the weather has also been cloudy (led to bowling first). The pitch won’t change much.”

“He (Ashwin) has been a match-winner for us, it’s not a good opportunity to drop him but you have to do what’s best for the team in the given circumstances. He (Rahane) brings a lot. ” Experience, he has played more than 80 Tests,” Rohit said.

Cummins said he would have bowled earlier and confirmed that fast bowler Scott Boland is playing his first Test in England, with Josh Hazlewood out with left ankle and arm injuries.

“Hopefully on the fourth and fifth day, there will be a bit of spin. You think it suits his (Boland) bowling, he will be a key weapon. We’ve been here for about 10 days. Quite fresh, the weather is good.” We haven’t missed a session, feeling good,” he said.

India, then led by Virat Kohli, had finished as runners-up in the inaugural WTC cycle after losing by eight wickets to the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand at the Rose Bowl in Southampton in 2021.

With Rohit set to captain the Test team on overseas soil for the first time, India will aim to go a step further by way of their second straight WTC final appearance against Australia at The Oval, which will host a Test match in June. first time.

The winners of the 2023 WTC Finals will receive a purse of $1.6 million while the losers will receive $800,000.

IND vs AUS Playing XI

Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj. (With IANS inputs)