After Lyon’s dismissal of “India’s best batter,” Ganguly lashed out at Rohit and Dravid, referring to the team’s choice to omit Ravichandran Ashwin.
Australia has dominated the first two days of the World Test Championship final against India at The Oval. Before Travis Head passed 150 runs, Steve Smith reached his century in the first over of Day 2. The Indian attack then finished off the Australian innings in the first hour after lunch, allowing 469 runs in total. In response, Australia pacers cut short India’s fast start, dismissing Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Cheteshwar Pujara cheaply. Ultimately, it was a courageous Ravindra Jadeja-Ajinkya Rahane partnership that propelled India to 151-5 at the end of the day, albeit Australia stayed in command.
India were 71 for four when Mitchell Starc delivered a beast of a delivery that dismissed Kohli for 14 runs. However, a 73-run partnership between Jadeja and Rahane resurrected India. And just as it appeared like the Aussies could have a chance, Nathan Lyon dismissed “India’s best batter” with a superb delivery.
After Lyon’s dismissal of Jadeja, Ganguly took a jab at India captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid on-air for Star Sports, pointing to the team’s choice to omit Ravichandran Ashwin from the XI despite him being the No.1 bowler in the ICC Test rankings.
“Who said an off-spinner couldn’t play on a green pitch?” Nathan Lyon and Ravindra Jadeja, both left-handed batters. In Test cricket, he has taken over 400 wickets. He had just dismissed India’s finest hitter. “It had Turn and Bounce,” he explained.
This isn’t the first time Ganguly has expressed his displeasure with Ashwin’s decision. The 50-year-old, like most or all of the experts present at The Oval, conceded that India made a mistake by fielding four seamers and rested a match-winner in Ashwin.
“”India squandered an opportunity by not including a match-winner like R Ashwin. In retrospect, he appears to have been a superior choice, since Jadeja isn’t getting any help at the other end. “Jadeja is putting pressure from his end, but no one is stopping the flow of runs from the other side,” he stated on Wednesday.
The former India captain also praised Lyon for giving Australia with a much-needed breakthrough.
“Keep in mind that he doesn’t just take wickets in the subcontinent.” He also takes wickets in Australia. [Brilliant] Seam location, [there was] bounce, and it also drifted little. It’s not that the ball doesn’t hold on grass. “He is an all-time great in my opinion,” he continued.
