Ravichandran Ashwin criticized India’s tactics, stating their tactical acumen was lacking and there was a clear absence of game awareness.
Ravichandran Ashwin Criticizes India’s Tactical Approach in Final Test Against England
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has voiced strong concerns over India’s tactical approach in the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England. Speaking on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat,’ Ashwin pointed out a noticeable lack of game awareness and tactical sharpness from the Indian side, both on and off the field, which he believes has contributed to England gaining the upper hand in the series.
As the match heads into the decisive final day, all results remain possible. England require 35 more runs to win, while India need four wickets to level the series 2-2. On Day 4, England’s batsmen Harry Brook and Joe Root put together a commanding 195-run partnership, threatening to put the game out of India’s reach. However, India fought back with a late surge, dismissing both centurions. Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton remain at the crease, aiming to guide England to a 3-1 series victory.
Ravichandran Ashwin expressed particular disappointment over India’s delayed use of spinner Washington Sundar during the crucial Root-Brook stand. He felt Sundar could have been introduced earlier to curb the run flow, rather than being used only as a defensive option. “If you feel you can play spin well, you might hesitate to bring spinners into the attack, but missing the moment in these conditions turns the spinner into just a defensive option,” Ashwin explained.
While Ravichandran Ashwin acknowledged that Shubman Gill, India’s captain, is still learning and will improve, he stressed that sharper tactical decisions are essential for India to compete effectively in such high-stakes matches.
‘You can’t make such mistakes’
Ravichandran Ashwin emphasized that bringing Washington Sundar into the attack earlier during the crucial Root-Brook partnership could have given India better control and applied pressure on England’s batsmen. He pointed out that when Harry Brook began dominating the pacers after scoring around 20 runs, introducing a spinner to slow the scoring rate was a missed tactical chance.
“When Harry Brook started taking it on, after 20 runs, you could have brought on the spinner to choke the run flows. From the other end, a pacer could have bowled. With all this in mind, Washington Sundar could have been brought earlier into the attack,” Ashwin said.
He added that such mistakes create a significant gap in strategy. “We don’t know whether the message is going from outside to the middle. We don’t know the dressing room talks. But in today’s day and age, these mistakes can definitely be avoided,” Ashwin remarked.
So far in the fourth innings of the Test, India has bowled 76.2 overs, but spinners Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja have bowled only eight overs combined—four overs each. In contrast, during England’s first innings, Sundar wasn’t given a single over, while Jadeja bowled just two.
Ashwin’s critique points to a broader issue in India’s tactical execution, suggesting better spinner utilization could have altered the course of the match.
