R Ashwin injury a worry for Indian team ahead of the first Test

Chelmsford, July 27: India's premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin suffered a minor hand injury and as a precautionary measure did not take field on the second day of the ongoing three-day practice game against Essex.

Ashwin was hit on the right hand during a net session on Thursday (July 26) morning. To avoid any further damage, Ashwin decided not to bowl, bat or field. The Indian team management said that the physio has taken a look and deduced that it was only a minor injury.

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Ashwin later bowled in the nets during the lunch break. India were all out for 395 in 100.2 overs with Dinesh Karthik top-scoring for the visitors with his 82-run knock.

The first Test begins in Birmingham on August 1 and spinners are likely to play a key role, considering the hot conditions, suitable for Indian bowlers.

That's Tea here at Essex with @EssexCricket on 130/3 after 34 overs.#TeamIndia 395#ESSvIND pic.twitter.com/wxcrCNd8Uq

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 26, 2018

It came as a minor scare for Indian team management as they have already lost three frontline players - Wriddhiman Saha, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah - to injuries even before the start of the tour. Bhuvneshwar will miss the first three Tests while Bumrah will be available only from the second Test, subject to him clearing the fitness test. Saha, who will undergo a shoulder surgery in Manchester, will miss the tour altogether.

In that scenario, not having the services of Ashwin, the most experienced bowler with over 300 wickets in the traditional format, would have been a major setback for the Indian team.

That's Lunch on Day 2 of the three day warm-up game.

Essex 18/1 #TeamIndia 395#ESSvIND pic.twitter.com/SGmuUUFUhY

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 26, 2018

Moreover, it would have been a personal disappointment for Ashwin himself to have missed the Test because several quarters have already placed chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav ahead of him in the pecking order.

However, former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has favoured the selection of Ashwin ahead of Kuldeep in the Tests. "You can't let Ashwin fade away so quickly, because 300 wickets is not a matter of joke," Ganguly was quoted as saying by the Cricbuzz.

"Ashwin has a place in the side. He will reinvent himself because he feels challenged, he knows Kuldeep is up for his Test spot. You saw the leg spin in the IPL, he will get better and he deserves a lot more opportunities," he said.