India vs England: Don't Regret Not Playing R Ashwin at Trent Bridge, Says MS Dhoni
The first Test between India and England ended in a draw at Trent Bridge. India captain MS Dhoni said there was nothing he would have done differently on a dull pitch that had nothing for the bowlers.
After the first Test against England petered out to a tame draw, India captain MS Dhoni said there was nothing he would have done differently at Nottingham and said he was happy with how his bowlers performed on a dull Trent Bridge pitch.
Dhoni had opted for four pacers. Stuart Binny made his debut and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was preferred ahead of off-spinner R Ashwin. While Bhuvneshwar Kumar (5), Ishant Sharma (3) and Mohammed Shami (2) shared the 10 England wickets in their only innings, Binny and Jadeja went wicketless. (Day 5 Highlights)
India seemed to miss a specialist spinner as the attack looked rather one-dimensional as England staged a recovery through a record-breaking last-wicket 198-run stand between Joe Root and James Anderson, after losing six wickets in the second session on the third day.
However, the Indian captain said the attack he had chosen was the best possible combination after his assessment of the Nottingham strip: "I don't regret not playing Ashwin because there was no help for the spinners on this track. (Matchcentre)
"We had a good combination and I was happy with the bowling attack. I don't think I could have changed much when Root and Anderson were going; we tried a few things but the ball got soft and the bowlers got tired and I don't think there was much else we could have done."
The Trent Bridge surface had come under severe criticism from the local press and former and current England cricketers, who claimed conditions were more suited to the Indians than the hosts.
Even as the match reached a stalemate, Ashwin and batsman Cheteshwar Pujara were seen bowling on a practice pitch, and soon after England skipper Alastair Cook revealed he was looking at 25-year-old Simon Kerrigan as a second spin option at Lord's. The second Test starts July 17.
If Lord's produces a Trent Bridge-like track, Ashwin could soon find his way back in, even if it is at the cost of Binny, who slammed a sublime 78 on debut.
Dhoni was of course was impressed with the Karnataka all-rounder, who could fit into India's scheme of things very soon, especially overseas: "We haven't had a seaming all-rounder but Binny can be someone who can really contribute for us in the future.
"A lot of youngsters have played really well. We wanted to see what kind of fight they are putting in and we're pleased."
Kumar was another standout performer. The 24-year-old Uttar Pradesh all-rounder hit two fifties in the match and picked up his maiden fifer in Test cricket. Despite the failures of a couple of established names, Dhoni will draw solace from how his young brigade delivered.