Rohit Sharma surprised many by picking Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the playing XI at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). While many had backed Chahal to make optimal use of the long boundaries, Ashwin was probably picked in the side for two reasons.
First, India are missing the services of their fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. Had Bumrah been in the side, he would have bowled an over or two during the fielding restrictions. Ashwin is capable of bowling in the powerplay overs if the ball does not swing much, something he has done regularly in Indian Premier League (IPL) and in international cricket.
Also, one big reason can be Chahal’s recent performance against Pakistan in the T20 Asia Cup 2022. Chahal conceded 75 runs from two games at an average of 75. He managed to take just a single wicket during these games. While he bowled slightly better in the second match, he failed to pick up a wicket and the economy rate of 9.37 could have been risky.
On the other hand, Ravichandran Ashwin has not been the prime wicket-taker when it comes to India vs Pakistan clashes. However, in the five innings he bowled, he took just three wickets but conceded runs at an impressive economy rate of 5.55 runs per over.
Also, Ashwin provides more variety to the side. While Axar Patel takes the ball away from the right-handed batter, Ashwin can come in handy against the likes of Shan Masood and Mohammad Nawaz. In addition, he has a few unorthodox deliveries in his arsenal.
Rohit made another change to the side by replacing Harshal Patel with Mohammed Shami. Patel bowled a good penultimate over against Australia in the warm-up game but Shami took three wickets in a terrific last over against the hosts.
