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'Who Says Off-Spinner Can't..'- Sourav Ganguly Slams Rohit and Dravid For Ignoring R Ashwin

image-lio42w79Ravichandran Ashwin is the No. 1 ranked Test bowler [Source: Twitter]

Australia are in total command of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India at The Oval after the first two day's play.

The proceedings on Day 2 commenced with a blazing start as Steve Smith reached his century in the opening over. Not to be outdone, Travis Head surpassed the impressive 150-run milestone. However, the Indian bowling attack managed to wrap up the Australian innings for 469 shortly after the lunch break.

India got off to a brisk start, but the relentless bowling from the Australian seamers quickly shattered their hopes. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Cheteshwar Pujara all fell cheaply, leaving India in a precarious position at stumps.

Nevertheless, a steady partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane provided a glimmer of hope for India. But just when it seemed that India had steadied their ship, Australian spinner Nathan Lyon removed their best batter of the day, Jadeja, as they ended Day 2 at 151 for 5.

Reflecting upon the same on Star Sports, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly took a scathing dig at current skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid following Lyon's dismissal of Jadeja. He highlighted the team's decision to exclude Ravichandran Ashwin from the playing XI, despite the off-spinner being the top-ranked bowler in ICC Test rankings.

Ganguly questioned the notion that an off-spinner could not excel on a green pitch, pointing to the impressive performances of Ravindra Jadeja and the experienced Nathan Lyon. He lauded the Aussie veteran's pivotal dismissal of Jadeja, highlighting the delivery's combination of turn and bounce.

"Who says off-spinner can’t play on a green pitch? Left-handed batter [Ravindra Jadeja] and Nathan Lyon. He has more than 400 wickets in Test cricket. At this moment, he dismissed India’s best batter. [It had both] turn and bounce," said Ganguly.

As the battle for the WTC title continues, India find themselves in a tricky situation, requiring resilient performances from their remaining batsmen to challenge Australia's dominance in the match as they still trail by a massive 318 runs.