Ashwin SCG bid falls short after failed fitness test
Indian off-spinner Ravi Ashwin has been ruled out of the Sydney Test after failing a fitness test.
While India have not yet named their team to face Australia in Thursday’s final match of the series at the SCG, a team spokesperson confirmed Ashwin would take no part in the fixture.
Ashwin suffered a side strain earlier in the summer and was ruled out of the second Test. He also didn't feature in Melbourne, but there were hopes he would be cleared to play in Sydney on a pitch that usually favours spinners.
The 32-year-old bowled in the SCG nets on Wednesday morning but medical staff made the call shortly after that he didn't have the required fitness.
"The physio and trainer have spoken to him in terms of what is required in order to get over that injury," Indian captain Virat Kohli said at a pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
"He is very important for sure in Test cricket. He's a big part of this team and we want him to be 100 per cent fit so he can contribute more to us in the Test format.
"He's very disappointed with the fact he is not able to recover in time. You can't really predict an injury when it happens, you can just manage it."
India will name their team on Wednesday afternoon.