"If you play Abhimanyu Easwaran, it will be injustice to him" - R Ashwin's huge remark on India's playing 11 for ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Ahead of the fourth Test between England and India, Ravichandran Ashwin made a blunt take on the number three position in the playing 11. The fourth Test begins on Wednesday, July 23, at Old Trafford, Manchester.

Karun Nair has failed to impress at the crucial number three position in two games. Sai Sudharsan, who played one Test, was dropped thereafter. India have Abhimanyu Easwaran in their ranks, although he is an unlikely choice. However, as Easwaran has not played a game so far this series, Ashwin believes playing him in the fourth Test will be an injustice to the right-hander.

The veteran all-rounder remarked that if Easwaran plays and does not perform well, there will be another question mark on who plays at number three and no stability.

"If you play Abhimanyu Easwaran, it will be injustice to him. Say he performs well in this Test. A few might put up social media reels about his prolific batting in first-class cricket. If he plays well, then it is good. In fact, I wish him the best always and he deserves all the goodness in this world. What if he also plays a Test and does not deliver? Who would you bring in next? Whatever we do, there must be a sense of stability," he reflected while talking on his YouTube channel. (16:56)

He added that should Easwaran play the fourth Test and fail, all three, including himself, Karun Nair, and Sai Sudharsan, will return to India without any clarity on their role and place in the team. That said, if Karun is dropped, Ashwin believes Sai Sudharsan should play and not Easwaran to be fair to all three.

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India can make a comeback if their bowling fires, believes Ashwin

Having lost two of the three Tests, India are 1-2 down in the series. The Manchester game is a must-win for the visitors to draw level. Ashwin believes that they can certainly bounce back if the bowling comes good. He also feels Kuldeep Yadav should replace Nitish Kumar Reddy, who is ruled out of the series due to injury.

"If India's bowling fires I think they can still make a comeback. Kuldeep Yadav could add a lot of strength. Of course, it isn't like he will come in and pick fifers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You should expect him to do what Nitish can do," he said. (24:01)

However, the veteran added that England have a better chance of winning if they can navigate the visitors' bowling attack. The hosts need just one win to seal the series.

Ahead of the fourth Test, Ashwin also highlighted that the toss has not been a big factor in Manchester. Pulling up some stats, he stated that in Tests since 2020, teams batting first have won twice while teams chasing have won thrice with just one draw at the venue.

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Edited by Rishab Vm