"Should have played a specialist batter " - Fans react to Ravichandran Ashwin's selection in India's playing XI for 1st Test vs South Africa

Team India's veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin found a place in the side's playing XI for the ongoing Test series opener against South Africa that began at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Tuesday, December 26.

There was uncertainty over his inclusion, considering that several experts had opined that India should prefer an extra seamer over him in the South African conditions. However, Ravindra Jadeja being ruled out because of back spasms made Ashwin an automatic selection.

While some fans expressed their excitement over Ashwin's selection, certain Indian supporters seemed concerned about the side's batting depth.

Here are some of the top reactions on social media:

It is worth mentioning that Ravichandran Ashwin is currently the No. 1 ranked bowler in the ICC Test rankings. However, he performed underwhelmingly during India's last tour of South Africa in 2021-22, bagging just three wickets from as many Tests.

The seasoned campaigner did chip in with a useful contribution with the bat in the second Test, scoring 46 runs in India's first innings.

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India lose skipper Rohit Sharma early after being asked to bat first in Boxing Day Test

South Africa captain Temba Bavum won the toss and elected to field first in the Test series opener. The hosts were off to a brilliant start, claiming an early breakthrough.

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma was dismissed in the fifth over of Day 1 after scoring five runs off 14 balls. The senior batter perished while playing the pull shot off Kagiso Rabada's bowling. He failed to get the desired distance and was caught at fine leg by Nandre Burger.

The Men in Blue are still in search of their maiden Test series win on South African soil. They gave fans hope during the previous tour with a 113-run win in the first Test. However, they suffered losses in the remaining two encounters, and the Proteas pocketed the series by a 2-1 margin.

Here are the two playing XIs for the 1st Test:

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

South Africa: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger