Bengaluru, Jan 17: India's premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin may not have had a satisfactory performance with the ball in the series against South Africa so far, but Erapalli Prasanna feels the Tamil Nadu spinner shouldn't be rested for the third Test as well.
Ashwin, however, captured a four-for in the first innings while scalped one wicket in the second innings of the second Test match at Centurion.
The legendary India off-spinner, Prasanna, offering his explanation on Ashwin's necessity said over the phone,"Ashwin may not have broken South Africa innings, the way he did it on Indian soil. But at the same time, see his economy rate in both the innings. He was not at all expensive against South African batsmen. In addition, just look at his batting during skills during a crisis situation. So, in my view, Ashwin should never be dropped.”
Prasanna, who has 189 wickets in 49 Tests, cited the example of Dereck Underwood, the renowned English spinner in the 1970s.
Prasanna said, “During their halcyon days in 1970s England captains never thought of dropping Underwood from the playing eleven. The main reason for that was that Underwood cracked opposition on the fifth day when the pitch would develop dust and small cracks. This means if any captain thinks of fifth day’s play then having a spinner like Ashwin in the squad will be an additional strength for the team. Dropping him from the squad means you are not thinking of fifth day’s game.”
Asked about Indian batsmen’s difficulty to face South African fast bowlers, Prasanna described, “Even keeping grass away from the pitch in South Africa does not make it slow as it becomes in the sub-continent. The soil in South Africa is harder. Naturally, the ball, after pitching on this soil, generates more speed. And Indian batsmen, who are generally accustomed to playing on the soft and dry pitches here, are having difficulty in timing the ball while executing shots.”