Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar congratulated Australia on winning the World Test Championship 2023 title but expressed his perplexity over the exclusion of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin from India's playing XI in the final, which they lost by 209 runs.
Australia's victory was established on Day One of the match through a monumental 285-run partnership between Player of the Match Travis Head (163) and Steve Smith (121) after India elected to field first. Australia posted a formidable total of 469 in their first innings, while India managed only 296 in response, with a significant contribution from Ajinkya Rahane (89) and Shardul Thakur (51). Australia declared their second innings at 270/8, setting a target of 444 runs for India to win.
On the fifth day, India started at 164/3 in 40 overs, with hopes of achieving the highest-ever successful chase in the fourth innings of a Test match. However, the dismissals of Virat Kohli (49) and Ajinkya Rahane (46) dashed those hopes, and India were eventually all out for 234, with Nathan Lyon claiming 4-41.
Tendulkar took to Twitter to acknowledge the crucial roles played by Travis Head and Steve Smith in laying the foundation for Australia's victory. However, he expressed his confusion regarding the omission of Ravichandran Ashwin from the playing XI, highlighting Ashwin's status as the current number one Test bowler in the world.
In his tweet, Tendulkar wrote, "@stevesmith49 and @travishead34 set a solid foundation on Day one itself to tilt the game in their favour. India had to bat big in the first innings to stay in the game, but they couldn't. There were some good moments for Team India, but I fail to understand the exclusion of @ashwinravi99 in the playing XI, who is currently the number one Test bowler in the world."
Tendulkar, considered one of the greatest batsmen in Test cricket history, emphasized that the India team management should not have solely considered the conditions at The Oval when excluding Ashwin. He explained that skillful spinners like Ashwin can utilize drift in the air and surface bounce to deceive batsmen, regardless of the nature of the pitch. Tendulkar also noted that Australia had five left-handed batsmen among their top eight, which could have made Ashwin's presence valuable.
India's bowling coach, Paras Mhambrey, defended the team management's decision to field four pacers and a lone spinner in Ravindra Jadeja, citing the perceived seaming conditions. However, the decision received criticism from various experts, who believed that Ashwin should have been included in the playing XI.