Gautam Gambhir Warned Against Benching India Star. Sourav Ganguly Says "He Must Play"

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is convinced that seasoned spinner Ravichandran Ashwin "must play" in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series opener against Australia in Perth. After months of wait, India and Australia, two heavyweights in the world of Test cricket, will begin their fierce rivalry in Perth from Friday. With last-minute injuries and the dwindling form of players in the Indian camp, the selection will be a headache for head coach Gautam Gambhir, especially after suffering a home series whitewash against New Zealand.

Ashwin, who has been a reason for debate among former cricketers and fans for being sidelined in defining matches, including the World Test Champions finals in 2023, is again the talk of the town.

With a traditional Perth surface offering plenty of value to pacers, spinners have struggled to fish out advantages while hunting for wickets.

In the presence of Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, the most probable scenario would be India fielding just one tweaker in the playing XI.

On the back of his lacklustre outing in the recent Tests, Ashwin could be on the verge of missing out on another big overseas match.

However, for the former BCCI president, there is no debate about Ashwin's selection. For him, the 38-year-old stands as the clear favourite ahead of Jadeja and Sundar, who impressed during the New Zealand series defeat.

"There is no debate. Ashwin must play. Your best spinner must play. In Test cricket, play specialists. Also, against the number of left-handers in the Australian line-up, Ashwin is certain to have an impact," Ganguly said while speaking to Boria Majumdar on Revsportz.

Ashwin had a rare slump on home conditions in red-ball cricket against the Kiwis. The crafty