Former England skipper Nasser Hussain has drawn everyone's attention to a different issue when Indian team management is at the receiving end of all the backlash for leaving out ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia.
Rohit Sharma's brigade dearly missed Ashwin on Day 1 when none of the Indian bowler could pose a threat to Australia's batters and four-seamer-and-one-spinner combination didn't really work out for them.
The decision to bowl first backfired for India as Australia rode on Travis Head's brilliant century (146 not out) and Steve Smith's unbeaten 95 to pile 327/3 at the close of Day 1. Mohammed Siraj however did give India a cracking start after dismissing Usman Khawaja for a duck. Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Shami too chipped in with David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne's wickets respectively. But Head and Smith had some other plans in store for Australia as they weaved together an unbeaten 251-run stand to steer Australia from a precarious position to a commanding 327/3.
Besides all the talks around Ashwin's omission, India also missed the presence of a proper seam-bowling all-rounder. However, Shardul Thakur have showed some his all-round skills in the past but can't be considered a genuine all-rounder. Hussain came out with Hardik Pandya's name who could be a best option to fill that void. Hussain after witnessing India's struggle on Day 1 while commentating alongwith Ricky Ponting questioned Indian Team management for not keeping a genuine seam-bowling all-rounder like Pandya in their rank for WTC final.
"At the toss this morning, it was so apparent that India were not sure about their side and Australia were crystal clear and Cameron Green has a lot to do with that. He just balances the side away from home in England. He is the sort of cricketer that India would have loved to have. Of course, Shardul Thakur is a seam-bowling all-rounder of kinds. In India, you've got Jadeja, Ashwin and Axar Patel. They are complete all-rounders in Indian conditions but what about a seam-bowling all-rounder when you go overseas? Where is Hardik Pandya?" Hussain asked while commentating on Day 1.
Ponting while replying to Hussain's question said that Pandya was asked about making himself available for the WTC final against Australia but the star al-rounder thought it wouldn't be fair on rest of the India players who played through and through in the WTC cycle and propelled India to the all-important final.
"That's the one line that was mentioned in commentary earlier today. He made it clear that he feels his body won't get through the rigours of Test cricket. He was thrown up in a game like this what do you think about playing in a game like this, just a one-off Test just to help the balance of the side? And his reply apparently was that he didn't feel it was fair on everyone else who have been through this journey in the last couple of years leading into this game," Ponting answered.
Earlier this year, Pandya had said that he hasn't contributed even '10 per cent' in the team's cause to reach the WTC final.
“No. I am an ethically very strong person. I haven’t done 10 per cent to reach there. I am not even a part of 1 per cent. So me coming there and taking someone’s place will ethically not go well. If I want to play Test cricket, I’ll go through the grind and earn my spot. Hence, for that reason I will not be available for the WTC final or future Test series until I don’t feel that I have earned my spot,” Pandya had said earlier.
