Virat Kohli missed a trick by not playing R Ashwin against Sri Lanka

Flying high after a famous win over arch-rivals Pakistan, a rude awakening was in store for India as Sri Lanka steamrolled their toothless bowlers in London on Thursday.

If all departments clicked in Birmingham against Pakistan, on a flat surface at the Oval, India’s pace-heavy bowling attack came up woefully short, as an inexperienced Sri Lanka outfit pulled of a shock seven-wicket win to stay afloat in the Champions Trophy with one more round left in the group stage.

The defeat raises plenty of questions for India. Their performance with the ball will be in prime focus as they look to recover in time for what is now a must-win game against South Africa on Sunday.

This was the second straight game that India left star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on the bench. Ahead of the game, skipper Kohli had defended the move, stating the decision was taken due to the conditions prevalent in England.

On Thursday, the conditions failed to favour either of the five bowlers in the playing XI, raising questions over the team combination.

Toothless bowling attack

India went in with an unchanged side from their previous outing: Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya were part of a pace-heavy attack, complemented by the lone spinning option of Ravindra Jadeja. All five tanked.

The pacers bowled length balls through the game and, save for a few slower deliveries, could not serve up the variations required to keep the batsmen on their toes. Jadeja was off colour and leaked 52 runs in just six overs. It did not help that none of the bowlers got any purchase off the wicket, but India’s much-vaunted bowling line-up suddenly appeared toothless.

Out of the four Sri Lanka batsmen who went back into the hut, only one wicket fell to a bowler (Bhuvneshwar), while two were run-outs and the one batsman – Kusal Perera – retired hurt.

With wickets hard to come by, a desperate India were forced to turn to their part-time spinners. Kedar Jadhav was introduced at one end, while Kohli bowled himself from the other, even as the cameras panned to Ashwin sitting near the boundary rope.

While the two could not effect a wicket, it was during this spell that two run-outs occurred. Sadly for India, the breakthroughs did not amount to much as they failed to build on the slight shift in momentum.

Enough space to accommodate Ashwin

The move to not play Ashwin worked in Birmingham, but the decision to not use the star spinner on a relatively flat surface at the Oval was a little perplexing. Looking at the depth in India’s bowling or even the their bowling, making space for Ashwin in the XI is not a difficult prospect. India are already sending Kedar Jadhav into bat at seven. India’s top-order is in fine nick and on current evidence, can afford to be a batsman short.

Hardik’s effectiveness as an all-rounder makes him untouchable, but having four fast bowlers in the line-up is avoidable.

The decision hit Kohli and the team management hard as their primary spinner, Jadeja, turned out to be the most expensive bowler on the night. The one-dimensional look to bowling attack stuck out like a sore thumb. Jadeja’s off-day only compounded India’s woes.

An Ashwin in the attack could have helped India play the wicket out of the equation. The Tamil Nadu bowler has been one of India’s leading wicket-takers over the past year. As a bowler, he is good in the air and gives the ball good flight. He uses the crease to his advantage as well. He has performed well on the dust bowls as well as the flat tracks and is the most experienced spinner among the current lot. Eventually, India were forced to turn to their part-time spinners, the presence of Ashwin could have served them well.

Captain’s call

Kohli at one point appeared shell-shocked, as none of his ploys bore fruit. The game would remind him of his days in charge of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League, where the team was just as ineffective.

India bore a similar look as they looked to defend a competitive total of 321, scored on back of a fine performance by their batsmen.

Kohli’s decision to bring Jadhav and himself in the attack came after Sri Lanka’s Danushka Gunathilaka (76) and Kusal Mendis (89) were in ominous touch. The decision was reactive and reeked of desperation.

Sticking to a winning combination does seem like the ideal thing to do, conditions on offer should always be a priority. With a bowler of Ashwin’s caliber in the dugout, a slight change of conditions should have prompted a change.

As India prepare to face South Africa in what is now a virtual quarter-final, Kohli will once again be presented with the hard choice to make. The game will be played at the Oval once again, and save for rain, the conditions are unlikely to change.

South Africa’s traditional weakness against spin could expedite Ashwin’s re-entry. But it would depend on how the skipper assesses the situation. Hopefully, a change will be in order.