After the high of Lord’s, India fell from grace as England squared the series 1-1 by winning in Headingley by an innings and 76 runs. Ishant Sharma drew the most flak for his lacklustre performance. But Nehra came in support of the 32-year-old, saying Ashwin’s inclusion would only be a tactical move and not because Ishant looked off-colour in a solitary game
Ishant Sharma looked terribly short on rhythm. He struggled to keep the ball at the stumps, overstepped a few times, before eventually ending with match figures of 0 for 92, with a high economy-rate of 4.2.
“We have not lost the Test match because of Ishant Sharma” – Ashish Nehra
Debates surrounding the exclusion of Ravichandran Ashwin have been doing the rounds since Day 1 of the Nottingham Test. But with Ravindra Jadeja nursing a knee injury and the Oval surface traditionally known to aid spin, the veteran off-spinner is primed to play his first game of the series.
Ashish Nehra, however, issued a reminder that India didn’t lose the third Test because of just Ishant Sharma and it would be unfair to a 104-Test-old if he’s axed based on a single performance.
Spinners accounted for 16 of the 38 wickets to fall when India last played a Test at the Oval back in 2018. Changes in the line-up are definitely on the cards. But will it lead to any change in India’s fortunes? Only time will tell.
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