Ravi Ashwin warns India of England’s ‘exceptional talent’ ahead of Oval Test, says ‘cricketing world will get to see…’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Ravi Ashwin warns India of England’s ‘exceptional talent’ ahead of Oval Test, says ‘cricketing world will get to see…’")
Ravi Ashwin warns India of England’s ‘exceptional talent’ ahead of Oval Test Photograph: (AFP)
England made several changes, as many as four, including bringing in three seamers and an all-rounder, which Ashwin feels will emerge as a superstar in this series-decider.
Former ace Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has warned the touring Indian Team of this ‘exceptional’ English talent ahead of the fifth and final Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at the Kia Oval in London, starting Wednesday (Jul 31). While India will announce their playing XI at the toss, the hosts named theirs a day before, with their captain and star all-rounder Ben Stokes sitting out with a shoulder injury. England made several changes, as many as four, including bringing in three seamers and an all-rounder, which Ashwin feels will emerge as a superstar in this series-decider.
Jacob Bethell has replaced his team captain Stokes in the XI for the Oval Test, with vice-captain Ollie Pope wearing the skipper’s hat for this game. The rookie left-handed all-rounder has already made a name for himself in world cricket with his star performances in brief outings; however, following his maiden IPL stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) this past season, his popularity among the vast Indian audience also grew.
Also read | India’s Predicted Playing XI for Oval Test: No Bumrah, Pant, Karun Nair to return; Kuldeep uncertain
As Bethell gets his first game of the series, the English fans and Ashwin seemed excited to follow his rise on the international stage.
“The cricketing world will get to see a new superstar in the 5th Test," Ashwin said during a chat on his YouTube channel. “I have no doubt he’ll become one – yes, I’m talking about Jacob Bethell. I truly believe he’s an exceptional talent.”
Besides being more than a handy batter at any position, as he is a perfect fusion of aggression and defence, Bethell is a slow left-arm spinner, capable of breaking partnerships and picking wickets.
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“Brilliant with the bat and handy with his left-arm bowling,” Ashwin said of him.
Injury woes across both camps
Both camps have some injury worries to take care of. While England lost their captain Stokes for this game to a shoulder injury, India will be without their gloveman Rishabh Pant, who is out for nearly two months with a broken toe.
For the visiting team, ace quick Jasprit Bumrah is also unlikely to feature in this Test due to niggle and not the workload management, for which he was supposed to sit out in two of the five Tests on this tour. Besides them, India could also make several changes to their XI for the series-decider, dropping all-rounder Shardul Thakur and seamer Anshul Kamboj, replacing them with batter Karun Nair and pacer Prasidh Krishna, respectively. Akash Deep will replace Bumrah, and Dhruv Jurel will come in place of Pant.
