IND vs AUS: Why is Washington Sundar picked ahead of Ashwin and Jadeja?

India made a surprising decision by excluding Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja from the playing XI for the first Test against Australia.

Instead, Washington Sundar was chosen as the sole spinner. India also handed debut to pacer Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy, joining Jasprit Bumrah Mohammed Siraj in a four-man pace attack.

KL Rahul was promoted to open innings after Shubman Gill was ruled out with a thumb. Devd Padikkal replaced Gill and will bat at No.3. Jasprit Bumrah is leading team in Perth as Rohit Sharma is unavailable following the birth of his second child.

IND vs AUS: Why Washington Sundar is playing over Ashwin and Jadeja?

The decision to drop Ashwin and Jadeja was strategic. Given the conditions, India needed four pacers, and Jadeja was not considered due to Australia's left-hand batters. The choice between Sundar and Ashwin favoured the former for his batting skills.

Jasprit Bumrah highlighted Nitish Reddy's debut while Washington Sundar would be the only spinner among four fast bowlers. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder is a talented player who has done well in Australia in the past. Commentator Ravi Shastri also summarized the reasons behind his selection.

"Three of them would have been in contention but in the end, they thought Washington was the man. To be fair, there's not much there. He's been bowling well at the moment. His batting gives him the edge. He can bat anywhere in the order and that's what it was down to. Also, the fact that he is tall, he gets some bounce on these Australian tracks. And what he showed in that series against New Zealand that the control was back. He could bowl long spells and bowl in the right place," Shastri said while commentating.

Although Washington has looked good in the recent past, leaving out Ashwin and Jadeja together is not something the Indian Test team has witnessed very often.

India's lineup adjustments reflect tactical considerations on player form and pitch conditions. The absence of key players like Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill necessitated changes in India's batting order as KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal have been slotted into the side.