India were asked to bat after England captain Joe Root won the toss at The Oval ahead of the fourth Test, but the biggest talking point was the non-selection of all-rounder Ashwin Ravichandra who was left out of the team for the fourth Test running.
India also made two changes, dropping Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami as they hope to bounce back after a heavy defeat in Headingley.
Fellow pacemen Shardul Thakur – who played in the drawn first Test at Trent Bridge before suffering a hamstring injury – was recalled and Umesh Yadav brought in for his first match this series.
That meant there was still no place for Ashwin despite having taken 413 Test wickets and scored five hundreds. This was a bigger surprise considering The Oval pitch is known to take turn later in the Test match.
Plenty of Indian fans were not impressed by the decision and questioned the rationale behind it. Here are the best reactions.
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