Oval Test: Nick Compton slams Virat Kohli for overlooking R Ashwin, predicts outcome of the final day's play

R Ashwin has been warming the bench for Team India in the India-England Tests. Ashwin featured in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final, versus New Zealand, but has been overlooked so far in the five-match Test series versus Joe Root-led England.

While many expected Ashwin to feature in the second Test, at Lord's, he continued to remain on the sidelines. Former cricketers and experts then pinned hopes on the wily off-spinner getting a look-in in the fourth and penultimate Test, with spinners to play a role in the final two days. However, Kohli-led India continued to go ahead with Ravindra Jadeja as the only spin-bowling all-rounder.

With all three results possible on Day 5 of the fourth and penultimate Test, on Monday (September 6), former England batsman Nick Compton has slammed Kohli for not including Ashwin in the line-up. He feels Ashwin's absence will prevent India from winning the Test and predicted a draw in the fourth and penultimate Test.

Compton also took a dig at the 32-year-old Kohli, suggesting the Indian skipper should've played Ashwin, who is an independent thinker, as per the former England cricketer. “Can’t see this being anything other than a draw! India’s bowling apart from Bumrah will struggle. If only Ashwin was playing… oh Kohli it’s good to have independent thinkers in your team,” Compton tweeted.

At stumps on Day 4, England are 77 for no loss in pursuit of a challenging 368. Earlier in the day, India's lower-order took the team's total to 466 all-out, after Rohit Sharma's 127, fifties from Cheteshwar Pujara (61), Rishabh Pant (50), Shardul Thakur (60) and valuable contributions from Kohli (44) and KL Rahul (46).

The series is currently levelled at 1-1.