ENG vs IND | 'When adversity is against the Indian team, somebody will rise up', Ashwin on Gambhir outburst on curator

‌Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, on Wednesday, gave his views on Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir’s recent spat with the ground curator ahead of the fifth and final Test against England at the Oval. The legendary off-spinner has claimed that this incident could result in boosting the morale of the team going into the match, which starts on July 31.

The fourth Test at Old Trafford ended up being one of the greatest saves in Test cricket from the visitors, who went on to draw the game despite trailing by 311 runs after the first innings of the match. With the last game ending on an unceremonious note, with Ben Stokes and the England team unimpressed with the Indian batters ignoring a request for a draw, another controversial moment has added to the simmering tensions ahead of the final game at The Oval. A video of India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir having a verbal spat with chief curator Lee Fortis during India’s net practice session at the ground went viral. Though the words shared between the two were not clear, Gambhir was seen making some aggressive gestures towards Fortis, which caught the attention of all the experts and the fans.

“I can draw a parallel with Sydney. When we drew the Test in Sydney, there was an uncertainty because we were back in the bubble, and the Gabba Test was under scrutiny. (Similarly) England were comfortably ahead in the series until that last Test. Till the last day, we thought the Test series was sealed. But the way that game ended, even if it was a draw, and the conversations it triggered and the press conference… it was fiery,” Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel.

“When adversity is against the Indian team, somebody will rise up. When we are pushed against the wall, the Indian team becomes a different kettle of fish. It becomes a different beast. That particular thing going into the Test is a serious advantage for India. It may mean nothing if England play good cricket and India don’t end up on the right side, but somehow I feel this is not the way it has to be triggered,” Ashwin added.

The upcoming final Test between the two teams will see some significant changes within the playing XI of the home side. England announced their eleven ahead of the match, and will be led by Ollie Pope in the absence of Ben Stokes, who has been ruled out due to injury. While Stokes will be replaced by Jacob Bethell, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, and Liam Dawson will be making way for Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, and Jamie Overton in the lineup

Though India are yet to announce their playing squad, it has been confirmed that they will be missing their premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who is most likely going to be replaced by Bengal pacer Akash Deep.