Ravichandran Ashwin has taken more than 500 wickets in Test cricket, but he was benched in the first Test between Australia and India in Perth. Even Ravindra Jadeja was not considered, as the management preferred Washington Sundar over the two senior spinners.

The decision was questioned on social media as Sundar recently returned to the Test side while Ashwin and Jadeja have been winning matches for the country.

Wasim Akram explained the possible reason behind the move.

“There is no doubt that Ashwin has been a match-winner for the team. He has taken a lot of wickets in Test cricket. Even Jadeja is a class bowler. But you need more than that in Australia. The grounds are different from the ones we get in the sub-continent nation. The ball doesn’t travel to the boundary rope in Australia, and as a fielder and batter, you have to be fit to take runs or stop the ball from crossing the role.

“Fitness is needed in Australia, and you will have to run a lot. You can’t stand and deliver, and your fitness level will play an important role,” Wasim Akram said on Star Sports.

For the record, Sundar didn’t have a good outing with the bat in the first innings of the Perth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He scored just four runs and was dismissed by Mitchell Marsh.