“Since We Don’t Have…”: Ravichandran Ashwin’s Honest Admission On India’s Pace Attack And Its Impact

Team India had a forgetful outing against Australia in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam after the hosts got bundled out for just 117. In return, Australia chased down the target in just 11 overs with openers Mitchell Marsh (66*) and Travis Head (51*) staying intact at the crease and giving their side a 10-wicket victory. In the memorable win, the biggest contribution was made by pacer Mitchell Starc, who achieved his ninth five-wicket haul and wreaked havoc on India’s batting line-up. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul miserably failed to leave a mark as they succumbed to Starc’s blistering pace.

Having a left-arm seamer like Starc is a big positive for Australia. India veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin stated that ever since pacer Zaheer Khan retired, India have not been able to fill his shoes. He further stated that not having a left-arm seamer is creating a lot of trouble for the Indian batters.

“Once Zaheer Khan retired, India haven’t found a proper left-arm seamer. There is no use of saying that we have a problem in facing a left-arm seamer because he brings different dynamics of the game into play. In the 2019 World Cup semi-final, Trent Boult swung the ball and took the wicket of Virat Kohli,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.

“Facing that angle is completely different. In the nets, Virat Kohli will be facing Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav. All of them are fantastic bowlers. When a left-arm seamer bowls from over the stumps, he is suddenly bringing the stumps into play. How many right-arm seamers are bowling inswing at the moment? Since we don’t have a left-arm seamer, we are unable to put the opponent under pressure,” he added.

Ashwin went on to praise Starc and stated that in the terms of ODI cricket, he has gone past the stature of Australia legend Brett Lee.

“Shaun Tait is saying that Mitchell Starc is on his way to becoming an all-time great. But if you ask me, he has already gone past that stage. Australia have had their share of all-time greats like Glenn McGrath. But when it comes to ODIs, Starc is on par with Brett Lee. I feel Starc has even gone past Brett Lee’s stature in ODI cricket,” he added.