The much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia kicked off on Friday, November 22, at Optus Stadium in Perth. However, the selection of India’s playing XI for the first Test has come under scrutiny, especially from cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar. He criticized the decision to leave out seasoned spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, opting instead to debut all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.

While Reddy impressed on debut with a gritty 41 off 59 balls, featuring six boundaries and a six, Gavaskar questioned the logic behind the selection. "I am really surprised with Ashwin and Jadeja not playing," Gavaskar remarked during the broadcast. "They have 900 wickets between them in Test matches. They are not bowlers who can only play in subcontinent conditions. They are very clever and experienced bowlers. Even if they don’t get wickets, they can slow the game down with their craft."

"He has not played many first-class games and so clearly, I think, this selection of Nitish is more in hope, nothing less. Like all Indian cricket followers, I hope it comes off," Gavaskar added.

Gavaskar’s surprise stemmed from the fact that both Ashwin and Jadeja bring invaluable control, even in seam-friendly conditions like those in Perth.

"I would have thought, given the big boundaries on these Australian wickets, that both Ashwin and Jadeja would be in the playing XI," Gavaskar continued. "This is a new management with new thinking. They’ve gone with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who is undoubtedly a promising cricketer. But is he ready for Test cricket?" He added.