India vs England: Ravichandran Ashwin All Set For Red-Ball Challenge In English Conditions
Ravichandran Ashwin, who is India's most experienced spinner, will be accompanied by Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav in the spin department during the Test series in England.
Highlights
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BCCI announced the 18-member Test squad on Wednesday.
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Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep will be the three spinners.
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India will miss the services of their main wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha.
With the limited-overs series done and dusted, the real Test for India will now begin as they take on England in the five-match Test series starting August 1 at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The The Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced the 18-member squad for the first three Tests of the tour. The squad features three spinners in form of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Ahead of the lengthy red-ball cricket fixture, India's most experienced spinner Ashwin revealed his excitement over the England tour. Talking about adapting the conditions, Ashwin shed light on the fact that understanding the conditions will be crucial and responding to situations strategically will be the key.
"It's a lovely place and I enjoy going to England and playing cricket there. For me it's about going there, understanding the situation. We are a good team. It's all about responding to situations thrown at us," Ashwin told ICC in an interview.
The 33-year-old, who was not part of the limited-overs series between the two teams, said that he was looking forward to make the use of his experience to produce match-winning performances for his team. Talking on the preparations for the tour, Ashwin said that his preparations have been satisfying and he is all-set for the challenge.
"Sometimes I feel we over-cook, over-prepare ourselves. It is important to stay in the moment and react to it. It will be crucial on how early we acclimatize in the series. Once we do that it's all about reacting to situation and having that belief that you can retaliate at any point because it's a long Test series. We are going to commit mistakes and so will the home team. I want to use my experience that I have played Test cricket for and try to make it to best use.
Ashwin last played during the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June. Currently, India's most experienced spinner has 316 wickets to his name in 58 matches.
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravindra Jadeja