NEW DELHI: India's bowling coach Paras Mhambrey on Wednesday said the decision to exclude premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin from the World Test Championship final against Australia was solely influenced by the prevailing conditions.
The weather conditions at The Oval have been cold and overcast over the past three days, particularly in the morning. However, the afternoon and evening sessions witnessed abundant sunshine on the opening day of the WTC Final.
"It is always a very difficult decision to drop a champion bowler like him. Looking at the conditions in the morning we thought an additional seamer would be beneficial.
1/10:WTC Final: Head, Smith put Australia on top against India on Day 1
AP
2/10:Travis Head
<p>Travis Head's dashing century was the centrepiece of an Australia fightback against India on the opening day of the World Test Championship final at The Oval on Wednesday. </p>Getty Images
3/10:Steve Smith
<p>Australia were in a commanding position on 327/3 at stumps after losing the toss, with Head 146 not out and Steve Smith 95 not out. </p>Getty Images
4/10:Mohammed Siraj
<p>India started strongly when Mohammed Siraj removed Usman Khawaja for a duck with an excellent wobble-seam delivery and Australia were 2/1. </p>Getty Images
5/10:David Warner
<p>David Warner's promising innings ended on 43 when a gloved pull off Shardul Thakur was well caught down the legside by diving wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat.</p>Getty Images
6/10:Marnus Labuschagne
<p>Marnus Labuschagne fell early in the second session for his lunch score of 26 when he was bowled between bat and pad by a Mohammed Shami inswinger.</p>Getty Images
7/10:The rescue act
<p>Head and Smith then came together with Australia in trouble at 76/3 in bowler-friendly conditions, but as the sun burst through the clouds, the runs started to flow.</p>Getty Images
8/10:The counter-attack
<p>Head was troubled by Ravindra Jadeja but by counter-attacking from the start of his innings -- 24 of his first 27 runs came in boundaries -- he put the pressure back on the bowlers.</p>Getty Images
9/10:Smith at The Oval
<p>With Smith, who before this match averaged nearly 98 in Tests at The Oval, batting in more conventional fashion it gave Head freedom to keep playing his shots. </p>Getty Images
10/10:The short ball
<p>By the time India tested Head with the short ball, he was well set and a pulled single off Mohammed Shami took him to a sixth Test hundred in just 106 balls, including 14 fours and a six. </p>Getty Images"It has also worked in the past for us. Seamers have done well out here for us. You can always look back and say that additional spinner would have been beneficial but we took the call looking at the conditions," said Mhambrey, after Australia reached 327 for three on day one after being put in to bat.
Asked what kind of communications take place with the player who is not included in the eleven, he said: "When team discussion happens, we talk about composition over a period of days. We trained here for three four days before the game and seeing the wicket, conversations happen with players.
1/10:WTC Final: The curious case of Ashwin's omission
IANS
2/10:Ravichandran Ashwin
<p>There was no place for off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in India's seam-heavy attack in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval. </p>PTI
3/10:No. 1-ranked Test bowler
<p>But as Travis Head and Steve Smith put Australia on top on Day 1, India may rue the decision to leave out the No. 1-ranked Test bowler. </p>Reuters
4/10:Rohit Sharma
<p>India skipper Rohit Sharma tried to justify the call with well-grassed pitch which was a bit dry underneath and some grey skies at least to start with. </p>ANI
5/10:India's best bowler in WTC cycle
<p>Ashwin, India's most successful bowler in the 2021-23 WTC cycle, with 61 scalps from 13 Tests, missed his sixth Test in England in a row. </p>Getty Images
6/10:Team combination
<p>India's team combination had become as big a talking point as the pitch for the contest much before the game. </p>Getty Images
7/10:2 finals, 2 mistakes
<p>India had erred in the last WTC final in Southampton vs New Zealand in 2021 by picking two spinners in damp conditions. </p>AP
8/10:Ravindra Jadeja
<p>A 4-1 combination outside the subcontinent, with Ravindra Jadeja being preferred as the sole spinner because of his improved batting, has worked for India. </p>PTI
9/10:The wisdom
<p>But as Smith and Head repelled India, Rohit might have wondered about the wisdom of leaving out Ashwin, who could have been a threat against an Australia top five featuring three left-handers. </p>Getty Images
10/10:Australia's nemesis
<p>Ashwin may have made peace with the fact that potentially his last chance for another duel with an adversary that has defined his career is gone. </p>Getty Images"The players also understand that (the importance of team combination)."
The bowling coach said India can surely bounce back in the game. "The second new ball did a bit. The morning session will be important. The wicket played better than our expectations in the last two sessions today,” he said.
NO FITNESS ISSUES WITH UMESH YADAV
Umesh Yadav bowled only 14 overs in the day but Mhambrey said he had no fitness issues. He also felt bowlers could have done better.
"We could have been more disciplined. After 12-13 overs, we lacked discipline. I felt we conceded more runs that we would have preferred," he said adding that they could have employed the short ball tactics earlier than they did.
(With inputs from PTI)
