The curious case of India benching Ashwin and Jadeja in BGT, as expressed by Nathan Lyon

With plenty of learnings to pick from the Border Gavaskar Trophy opener in Perth, Australia and India are in the bid to ace the best combination for the second Test. While India's performance left little to no room for criticism, Australia needs to step up if they want to reclaim the trophy after a decade-long wait. The hosts have been forced to make at least one change for the Adelaide Test as Josh Hazlewood has suffered a side strain. Meanwhile, India would also display a transitioned team due to the return of skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. With the 10 days of break between the first two Tests nearly ended, Nathan Lyon has opened up about the combination that India played at the Optus Stadium.

Nathan Lyon 'surprised' by India omitting Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja from BGT Tests

In the absence of Rohit Sharma, India made a bold choice, opting against playing the senior picks like Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. Instead, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy earned their maiden caps as Washington Sundar completed the lineup with his spin capabilities. The odds played in India's favour as the team led by Jasprit Bumrah recorded a 295-run victory over the Kangaroos. Moreover, as the team prepares for the pink ball challenge in Adelaide, both Jadeja and Ashwin are likely to note the proceedings from the bench. While the move played in India's favour, it surprised the opponent's star spinner, Nathan Lyon.

Nathan Lyon, Australia's almost solely trusted spinner in the format, expressed his puzzlement over India not playing either Ashwin or Jadeja in the BGT opener. Ashwin is the highest wicket-taker among active cricketers, with 536 Test scalps to his name. Jadeja is also listed in the same record as one of the world's best spinners, currently with 303 wickets. However, India tends to go without the lethal duo in SENA countries. While both have experience with the pink ball, India's lineup in the warm-up game in Canberra suggests that the team is likely to keep the seniors on the bench at the Adelaide Oval.

The move though surprised Lyon, made him realise of the exceptional bench strength that India showcases in the format. Counted among the modern-day spin legends himself, with 532 wickets, Lyon highlighted that when players of Ashwin and Jadeja’s caliber are left out, it highlights the incredible depth the team possesses.

"More than surprised," Lyon said. "But that's the quality of the Indian cricketers they've got in their squad. Ashwin has over 530 wickets and Ravi [Jadeja] with more than 300 wickets. So it's pretty remarkable to see the quality of players that are sitting on the bench, but I can't control who they run out."