Bangladesh vs India: Ravichandran Ashwin is still a significant force in Test cricket

Sure, he had taken six wickets, but all those came against minnows. And his performances against the bigger teams left a lot to be desired and did many wonders why exactly Yuzvendra Chahal could not play even a single game. 

The selectors are not fans of mixing formats; however, they backed him for the Test series in Bangladesh and for the most part, he has delivered his end of the bargain. 

He has taken seven wickets at an average of 35.14 and an economy of 3.04, which indicates that he has had a strong Test series up until this point. 

And even though there is some debate over whether or not he should have been playing the second Test – surely Kuldeep Yadav deserved to retain his spot given he took a five-wicket haul in the last game – that isn’t the fault of Ashwin. 

His job has been to deliver the goods, and he has done that to the best of his ability, and that ability is very high when it comes to the most extended format of the game. 

It is ironic that, despite breaking into the Indian national team as a white-ball specialist on the back of his performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he has become more synonymous with success in Test cricket. 

Indeed, he all but dropped out of contention for the white ball squads after 2017 when the captain at the time, Virat Kohli, preferred playing wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in his team. 

Indeed, such was Kohli’s penchant for attacking bowling that he would often play the two in tandem, and the duo were affectionately dubbed ‘Kul-Cha’ by fans. 

However, that hasn’t been the case for quite some time, and Ashwin came back into the white ball scheme of things ahead of the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups – with little success. 

It is also worth noting that his spot in the Test team hasn’t been assured either – in overseas conditions, the team prefers going with Ravindra Jadeja as the lone spinner mainly due to his ability to add depth to the batting line-up. 

That’s not to say Ashwin isn’t a decent bat himself – far from it – but Jadeja is more solid and a left-hander, which works to his advantage. 

But despite all of this, Ashwin can and should hold his head high. He has been good in Test cricket when given a chance to perform, and he can continue to do that if he keeps getting opportunities. 

Whether or not that continues to happen remains to be seen, especially considering the resurgence of form Kuldeep has experienced in recent times and the fact that Ashwin, too, is ageing. 

But one thing is for sure – until he gets to play, he will write his own script and not go into the sunset without a fight.