"No other top-class Indian cricketer has been treated as bafflingly" - Sunil Gavaskar blasts Team India for dropping Ravichandran Ashwin in WTC final

Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has slammed the Indian team management for not playing veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at The Oval.

In his column for the Mid Day on Monday, Gavaskar wrote about the number of left-handers that Australia had and just the kind of impact Ashwin could have had because of his incredible record against them.

Sunil Gavaskar also shed light on how this hasn't been happening for the first time with Ravichandran Ashwin as Team India have been benching him in such conditions despite him being the No. 1 ranked Test bowler currently.

Gavaskar wrote:

"No other top-class Indian cricketer in the modern era has been treated as bafflingly as Ashwin has been. Tell me if there was a No. 1 ICC-ranked batter in the team, would he have been left out of the playing XI just because in earlier times he had not got runs on a grassy pitch or if he had not scored runs on a dry spin-friendly pitch? Definitely not.

"In Ashwin's case, despite being the No. 1 bowler, he is not always the first spinner to be brought on."

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Sunil Gavaskar on Cheteshwar Pujara's dismissal

Sunil Gavaskar was disappointed with the way veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara was dismissed in the second innings of the WTC final. Pujara attempted an upper cut against Pat Cummins, but only ended up edging it behind to the wicketkeeper.

Gavaskar questioned Pujara's shot selection, especially when India had just lost the wicket of captain Rohit Sharma. He stated:

"Why Pujara attempted a ramp shot is hard to understand for that is not a shot he employs regularly. To even try it two deliveries after Rohit was out was also questioning the thinking at the time. Pujara is known for his patience and willingness to take blows, but keep occupying the crease so why on earth did he look to play that shot when runs were not the need but preserving wickets was essential."

It will be interesting to see if Team India continue with Cheteshwar Pujara at No. 3 in their next Test series against the West Indies in July.