The coin at the Oval didn't come down in Virat Kohli's favour ad Joe Root was quick to put India into bat. While most experts and fans expected Ravichandran Ashwin to walk into the playing XI on a track that favours spin, the Indian skipper once again decided against it.
India did make 2 changes though and brought in Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur but once again went in with Ravindra Jadeja, who has picked up just 2 wickets from 5 innings before the 4th Test. The question now is, can the decision to not pick Ashwin backfire?
We will have to wait and watch but history do suggest that the off-spinner would have come more than handy on this surface. Oval has traditionally supported spin and a spinner picks up a wicket there after every 35 runs. This is the second best spin average after Headingley in UK. Moreover, when Ashwin played a game at this ground in July for Surrey, he went on to pick 6 wickets for just 27 runs, as Somerset was bowled out for just 69 in the 2nd innings.
As India search their first win at The Oval in 50 years, Ashwin could have proved crucial but the team management had other plans. If the move backfires, murmurs about Virat's questionable Test captaincy might get stronger.
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