“Prasidh Krishna has not had the best of series” - Former cricketer disagrees with India’s playing 11 for ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

Former cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin expressed concerns over India's playing 11 for the ongoing fifth Test against England at The Oval. He opined that an extra seamer could have made the most of the conditions.

India have gone with three fast bowlers in Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj. On Day 1, the pacers extracted significant movement both in the air and off the deck. However, the visitors got past the 200-run mark despite losing six wickets. Ashwin added that he would have played Shardul Thakur, considering Prasidh has not had a great series, and Akash Deep is coming back from injury.

"I somewhere feel one more seamer could have played. Because Prasidh Krishna has not had the best of series so far. Akash Deep is making a comeback. Siraj has had a long series. We have to wait and see how they go. There is inexperience there. If you need batting, I would have again gone with Shardul Thakur," he said on 'Ash ki Baat'. (12:57)

Back in India's playing 11, Karun Nair scored an unbeaten fifty (52* off 98) on the rain-curtailed opening day. The legendary off-spinner added that Karun's inclusion would have been okay if pacers like Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Siraj were playing together on this wicket.

"I would have been very comfortable with Karun playing if all those three fast bowlers were nailing it. If it was Mohamamd Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Siraj playing together, I would have been okay. But this is still a very debatable decision. But how helpful the wicket will be for bowlers on day two and day three will be the answer to this question," he reflected. (14:17)

Notably, Prasidh has bagged six wickets from four innings at an average of 55.16 and an economy rate of 5.33. Akash Deep has picked up 11 wickets but missed the previous Test due to an injury. Bumrah is not playing the final game to manage his workload.

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India have to take the innings as far as they can, says Ashwin

India ended Day 1 on 204/6 after being asked to bat first. Talking about what could be a good first innings total, Ashwin stated that the visitors must stretch their score as much as possible. Though Karun Nair and Washington Sundar have looked solid at the crease, Ashwin feels one more wicket could lead to a collapse.

"There are no numbers set in stone. But given the conditions, at Oval the fourth innings has still been good to bat. Third and fourth will probably be the best to bat. So keeping that in mind, you need to take this first innings as far as you can. India will have to stretch this. One more wicket and they could be rolled out. But with Washington Sundar batting so well at number eight, it is a thorn in the flesh for England. Again, India have prioritized batting. I really hope it doesn't come back and bite us," he said. (15"07)

While Ashwin reckons the hosts prioritized batting again, he opined that Karun Nair scored runs and vindicated the decision.

Nair and Sundar stitched an unbeaten 51-run stand off 87 balls for the seventh wicket. Being the last recognised batting pair, India will expect them to add more runs to the total on Day 2.