India have rested off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja for the upcoming three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket series against England, starting from Thursday, it was announced on Monday.

The spin twin will be replaced by leg-spinner Amit Mishra and off-spinner Parvez Rasool for the series, according to a release from the Board of Control for Cricket in India. (BCCI).

“The All-India Senior Selection committee in consultation with Team India management has decided to rest spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja from the Paytm T20I series against England,” BCCI said in a statement.

“Amit Mishra and Parvez Rasool will replace Ashwin and Jadeja, with the first match to be played on January 26 at Kanpur,” it added.

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Ravichandran Ashwin (6/81) put India in the driver’s seat. Ashwin’s 20th haul of five wickets or more, put India in a commanding position, reaching 18/0 to take an overall lead of 276 runs over New Zealand at stumps on day three of the third and final Test. 

Ashwin led the Indian charge with six wickets and two brilliant run-outs along with left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (2/80) to bundle out the visitors for a paltry 299 just after the tea break in response to India’s first innings total of 557/5 declared.

Despite taking a huge lead and in a position to enforce the follow on, India skipper Virat Kohli opted to bat for a second time. Opener Murali Vijay (11) and one down Cheteshwar Pujara (1) were at the crease when the umpires decided to unsettle the bails. Pujara had to rush to the middle after veteran opener Gautam Gambhir (6) was forced to return to the pavilion with a shoulder injury.

Playing in his 39th Test, Ashwin ran through the Kiwi top order comprising Tom Latham (52), Kane Williamson (8), Ross Taylor (0), Luke Ronchi (0) and James Neesham (71) besides running out top scorer Martin Guptil (72) and Jeetan Patel (18). He later dismissed tailender Trent Boult (0) to finish things off in style. 

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Jadeja complimented his senior partner well by packing back stumper B.J. Watling (23) and Mitchell Santner (22). Already on the backfoot after losing the series 0-2, the Kiwis got off to a good start with openers Guptill and Latham, who put on 118 runs but ran out of steam once Kohli introduced spin from both ends.

Apart from the opening partnership, Neesham was involved in two vital stands — 53 for the sixth wicket with Watling and 52 for the seventh wicket with Santner but that was not enough to take the visitors anywhere near the Indian total.

Earlier, resuming the day at 28 for no loss, the visitors had just lost the wicket of Latham when Ashwin trapped him plumb in front in the morning session as they went for lunch at 125/1.

The Indians wrested the upper hand early on in the post-lunch session when New Zealand lost three wickets in four overs. The Chennai tweaker picked up his second wicket when Williamson dragged the ball onto his stumps while attempting a cut.

The off-spinner then sent Taylor back to the pavilion in his very next over before a straight drive by Ronchi deflected off his hand to hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end and catch Guptill out of his crease.

Ashwin then picked up his fourth wicket when Ajinkya Rahane showed some excellent fielding at first slip to send back Ronchi. Watling and Neesham then tried to bring the Kiwi innings back on track. But Jadeja found Watling’s outside edge with a delivery that turned away sharply after pitching to put the visitors into further trouble just before the tea break.

After the tea break, it was a one way traffic for India as both the spinners lost little time in taking the remaining four wickets before Kohli opted against enforcing the follow-on.

Eyeing a 3-0 whitewash, India will now aim to consolidate their lead and give a stiff target when they come out to bat.

At stumps, India opener Murali Vijay (11) and Cheteshwar Pujara (1) were at the crease and the hosts had an overall lead of 276 runs.

Veteran opener Gautam Gambhir (6) was forced to return to the pavilion with a shoulder injury.
Earlier, Ashwin led the Indian charge with six wickets and two brilliant run-outs along with left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (2/80) to bundle out the visitors for a paltry 299 in response to India’s first innings total of 557/5 declared.

Following is the scorecard after the third day’s play of the third and final Test between India and New Zealand:

India 1st innings: 557/5 declared

New Zealand 1st innings:
Martin Guptill run out (Ashwin) 72
Tom Latham c & b Ashwin 53
Kane Williamson b Ashwin 8
Ross Taylor c Rahane b Ashwin 0
Luke Ronchi c Rahane b Ashwin 0
James Neesham lbw b Ashwin 71
B.J. Watling c Rahane b Jadeja 23
Mitchell Santner c Kohli b Jadeja 22
Jeetan Patel run out (Ashwin) 18
Matt Henry not out 15
Trent Boult c Pujara b Ashwin 0
Extras (b 6, lb 5, w 1, pen 5) 17
Total (all out; 90.2 overs) 299

Fall of wickets: 1-118 (Latham, 34.2 ov), 2-134 (Williamson, 42.6 ov), 3-140 (Taylor, 44.5 ov), 4-148 (Guptill, 46.6 ov), 5-148 (Ronchi, 48.1 ov), 6-201 (Watling, 62.6 ov), 7-253 (Santner, 78.6 ov), 8-276 (Neesham, 86.2 ov), 9-294 (Patel, 88.2 ov), 10-299 (Boult, 90.2 ov)

Bowling: Mohammed Shami 13-1-40-0, Umesh Yadav 15-1-55-0, Ravichandran Ashwin 27.2-5-81-6, Ravindra Jadeja 28-5-80-2, Murali Vijay 7-0-27-0

India 2nd innings:
Murali Vijay not out 11
Gautam Gambhir retired hurt 6
Cheteshwar Pujara not out 1
Extras 0
Total (0 wickets; 6 overs) 18

Fall of wickets: 0-11* (Gambhir, retired not out, 2.5 ov)

Bowling : Trent Boult 3-0-9-0, Jeetan Patel 2-0-8-0, Mitchell Santner 1-0-1-0

The newly appointed selection committee have recalled Suresh Raina and Hardik Pandya but in a surprise move they’ve left out regulars spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. The squad has been selected for the first three matches of the five-match One Day International series against New Zealand, starting on October 16.

This was the first assignment for the newly-appointed selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India headed by M S K Prasad. The 15-member squad led by limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who last played the ODI and T20 International series in Zimbabwe in June. 

The batting department has been bolstered by the return of Test skipper Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma while Manish Pandey is likely to fill in for injured Lokesh Rahul as opener. Maharashtra stumper Kedar Jadhav and Punjab batsman Mandeep Singh also retained their places in the squad.

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Meanwhile, the pace bowling department will be spearheaded by Umesh Yadav, and will also comprise Jasprit Bumrah and Dhawal Kulkarni. The spin department will be headed by senior leg-spinner Amit Mishra in the company of left-armer Axar Patel and offie Jayant Yadav.

The first match will be played in Dharamsala on October 16 followed by the second at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla on October 20 while the third match will be played at Mohali on October 23.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Suresh Raina, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Jasprit Bumrah, Dhawal Kulkarni, Umesh Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav.

IANS

Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja spun India to an unassailable 2-0 lead and the No.1 ranking in Tests, pinning New Zealand down in a riveting see-saw four-day affair, to win the second cricket Test by 178 runs here on Monday. Local boy Wriddhiman Saha was adjudged Man of the Match for his unconquered 54 and 58 in the two Indian innings at the Eden Gardens.

Besides Saha, contributions with the bat by captain Virat Kohli (45) and Rohit Sharma (82) in the second innings helped India post 263 after a top-order collapse threatened to take the match away from them.

Local boy Saha declared Man of the Match

But despite the visitors’ grit early on in their 376-run chase, they fell to the guile of Indian tweakers once again — similar to the first Test at Kanpur that they lost by 197 runs — managing a meagre 197 in their seconds outing.

The tourists started their run chase well, riding on opener Tom Latham’s (74 not out; 144 balls, 8×4) ninth half-century and contributions from Martin Guptill (24) and Henry Nicolls (24) at the top order.

But post-lunch, the in-form Indian spinners ran through the Kiwi batting. Both Ashwin (3/82) and Jadeja (3/41) made mischief in tandem, joining in the party was the raw pace and swing of Mohammed Shami (3/46), who shaved off the lower order. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/28) claimed the remaining wicket.

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Latham departed soon after tea, starting the slide. Ashwin’s mastery over his craft was on show as he floated an inviting delivery which forced the opener to drive away from his body giving a nick to wicketkeeper Saha. Mitchell Santner (9) and B.J. Watling (1) followed suit in quick succession, Shami accounting for both the scalps.

Luke Ronchi (32; 60 balls, 4×4) fought briefly before Jadeja accounted for him, castling the 35-year old. Jeetan Patel (2) failed to replicate his first innings form, when he scored a gutsy 47, failing to comprehend the reverse swing generated from a good length ball by Buvneshwar. Matt Henry (18) and Trent Boult (4) were cleaned up by Jadeja and Shami, respectively.

Earlier, India wrested back the second session from New Zealand as Ashwin and Jadeja took three wickets to deny the tourists any hope of a fightback at tea.

Latham staged a lone battle as top-order batsmen fell around him. 

The hosts took 16 overs in the innings to get the first breakthrough. Ashwin pitched the ball fuller and it turned in from outside the off stump to catch Martin Guptill (24; 49 b, 3×4) off guard.

It was an important wicket just when the opening stand had started to look steady, engineering a partnership of 55 runs. The second-wicket stand between Latham and Henry Nicolls (24) was of 49 runs, helping the Kiwis reach 104 when Nicolls fell.

With the wicket offering a lot of turn, Jadeja made the most of it. Changing his angle to outfox Nicolls, who failed to come fully forward to cover the turn, the left-arm tweaker got the outside edge of Nicolls’ bat with Rahane taking the catch at first slip.

Ross Taylor, who is standing in for indisposed captain Kane Williamson, lasted only 26 minutes in which the right-hander scored just eight runs before falling to Ashwin’s guile, dismissed leg before wicket. Taylor played the wrong line leaving umpire Richard Kettleborough with an easy decision to make as the ball hit Taylor’s front pad.

Earlier, resuming at 227 for eight, India were all out for 263 in their second innings. 

Wriddhiman Saha, who had run out of partners in the first innings after scoring 54, once again anchored the lower order, remaining not out at 58 (120 balls, 6×4) — his fourth Test half century.

The two overnight batsmen, Saha and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (23; 51 balls, 2×4, 1×6) were involved in a 56-run partnership that helped India cross the 250-mark and set New Zealand a target which no team has ever achieved in the fourth innings at the famed ground.

The stand was broken in the 10th over of the morning session when Bhuvneshwar misjudged the bounce of Neil Wagner’s delivery and offered an easy catch to short leg. It was Wagner’s 99th wicket in 25 Tests.

IANS