WTC Final 2023: 'Fail to understand...', Tendulkar questions Ashwin's exclusion after India get outplayed by Australia

Sachin Tendulkar questioned the India’s team selection following their 209-run defeat against Australia in the ICC World Test Championship Final on Sunday.

Read | Familiar problems resurface for India as wait for an ICC title continues

India were bundled out for 234 within the morning session after resuming from their overnight score of 164/3 as the Australia team became the first team to win all the major ICC trophies on offer in the men’s game after being crowned world Test champions.

In a tweet posted after Australia’s victory on the final day, Tendulkar questioned the absence of senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the team XI.

WTC Final Stats: Australia achieve a first with ninth ICC title; India lose yet another final

“There were some good moments for Team India, but I fail to understand the exclusion of @ashwinravi99 in the playing XI, who is currently the number one Test bowler in the world.

“Like I had mentioned before the match, skillful spinners don’t always rely on turning tracks, they use drift in the air and bounce off the surface to disguise their variations. Not to forget, Australia had 5 left-handers out of their top 8 batters,” tweeted the Indian batting legend.

Congratulations to Team Australia on winning the #WTCFinal. @stevesmith49 and @travishead34 set a solid foundation on Day one itself to tilt the game in their favour. India had to bat big in the first innings to stay in the game, but they couldn’t. There were some good moments…

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 11, 2023

Ashwin’s absence in the WTC final had raised many an eyebrow. Skipper Rohit justified the team’s decision of going with four seamers instead of an extra spinner due to the conditions. However, many including Sunil Gavaskar felt a match-winner such as Ashwin, who has 474 wickets and five Test hundreds to his name, would come in handy in any part of the world regardless of conditions.

Read: Rohit rues shortcomings in final but lauds India’s solid run in WTC cycle

Ashwin’s absence became all the more prominent as veteran Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon would end up collecting the best individual figures in the match with his haul of 4/41 during India’s chase.

Tendulkar also mentioned Player of the Match Travis Head and Steve Smith, who slammed tons in Australia’s first innings and shared a 285-run partnership for the fourth wicket that would ultimately prove to be the difference between the two teams.

“@stevesmith49 and @travishead34 set a solid foundation on Day one itself to tilt the game in their favour. India had to bat big in the first innings to stay in the game, but they couldn’t,” wrote Tendulkar.

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