India vs England: How England Play R Ashwin Will Decide Outcome of Series - Monty Panesar

Former England cricketer Monty Panesar believes that off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be the key player in the upcoming four-match Test series between India and England. Praising Ashwin for his smart play and the fine form he is in, Panesar said that the way English batsmen deal with Ashwin could possibly decide the outcome of the tournament. Panesar, however, noted that the absence of Ravindra Jadeja could be a serious issue to worry about for team India. The series is set to kick on February 5 in Chennai.

Panesar noted what a great performance Ashwin had in the recently concluded series against Australia and that the allrounder will come into the home series with “tons of confidence.”

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“How England play Ashwin will decide the outcome of the series. Ashwin has become smarter with the way he has bowled in recent times and is in prime form,” Monty Panesar was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

Ashwin picked 12 wickets in the three Test matches he played against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar series. He also played a key role in India’s great save in the third Test, where he stood not out despite struggling from serious physical injury.

Speaking about Jadeja, Panesar said that the all-rounder will surely be missed by India. He said that a second spinner is going to be crucial for the side as Ashwin would need support from the other end in order to put pressure on England. Although Axar Patel has been included in the squad, Panesar believes it wouldn’t be the same.

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“Jadeja will be missed. (India) have named Axar Patel in the squad but I do believe that Jadeja adds a different dimension to the Indian team,” Panesar said.

As far as the English batting line-up is concerned, Panesar believes that the onus lies with skipper Joe Root, who will need to perform very well with the bat and only then England will stand a chance to win the series.

“If England are to have a chance of winning the series, Root will have to bat well. He needs to bat for long periods of time just like Alastair Cook did during the 2012-13 series,” he said.

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Back in 2012-13, Panesar played an important role in England’s victory over India in the Test series as he claimed 17 wickets. It was also the last time any team has beaten India on their soil.

• India vs England
• India vs England Test series
• Joe Root
• monty panesar
• Monty Panesar praises Ravichandran Ashwin
• Ravichandran Ashwin
• Ravichandran Ashwin key to India vs England
• Ravindra Jadeja