WTC Final: 'Drop Ashwin Or Jadeja If...,' Dinesh Karthik Makes Bold Statement Ahead Of India Vs Australia World Test Championship Final

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Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel were arguably the heroes from the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy which Team India won 2-1. Clearly, spinners had a big say in India's win, even for Australia Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy and Kuhnemann were the top picks if we talk about performance. However, the conditions of India are different and the upcoming WTC final will be played at the Oval. The World Test Championship Final will begin from June 7 and surely Rohit Sharma's side will have to come up with a different game plan.

Given the pace-friendly conditions at Oval, it is likely that Axar Patel will have to make space for all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who is the number one contender to take his place the Indian eleven. (Watch: MS Dhoni Hits No-Look Six During CSK's Nets Session)

India veteran wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik believes Axar Patel has to make way if R Ashwin, Jadeja and Shardul Thakur are fully fit at the time of WTC final. (World Test Championship Final: All you need to know about WTC Final IND vs AUS)

"To be brutally honest if everybody is fit, especially if Ashwin and Jadeja are fit, you will have to say that Axar will miss out. I think Shardul will take his place," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

"Absolutely (India might play either Ashwin or Jadeja). To be honest, that's where the Indian team made a mistake last time playing both spinners and they didn't bowl them much. It's a one-off game. You can't look at it in the bigger scheme of things. It's a year-end match for a lot of the players in many ways as after that there will be a fresh cycle. So you have to go into the match thinking 'what is my best XI to win that game?' If that means leaving Ashwin or Jadeja out, so be it. We've always seen Jadeja get the nod ahead because he can bat better," Karthik added.

Ashwin regains No 1 spot in ICC Test bowlers rankings (PTI)

Senior India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's superlative show in the fourth Test against Australia has helped him regain the top spot among bowlers in the latest ICC Rankings issued on Wednesday.

Ashwin, who grabbed a haul of six for 91 in the drawn fourth Test and was the leading wicket-taker in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 25 scalps, is 10 rating points ahead of England seamer James Anderson.

Fellow Indian left-arm spinner Axar Patel climbed six places to 28 among bowlers. He also rose to the fourth spot in the all-rounder's list led by Ashwin and Jadeja. While pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who is recovering from a recurring back injury, dropped to number seven among bowlers.

Talismanic Indian batter Virat Kohli moved seven places to 13th position after his Player of the Match performance against Australia in the fourth Test.
The high-scoring match at Ahmedabad also saw opener Shubhman Gill, who smashed a fine century, jump 17 places to 46th.

The injured Rishabh Pant (9th) and skipper Rohit Sharma (10th) are the Indian batters in the top 10. Australia opener Usman Khawaja and New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell have also made notable gains in the list.

Khawaja's score of 180 in the drawn fourth Test against India in Ahmedabad has lifted him two spots to seventh position and to a career-best 815 rating points while Mitchell's knocks of 102 and 81 in the epic victory over Sri Lanka in Christchurch has helped him reach a career-best eighth position as he touches the 800-point mark for the first time.

In the latest weekly update that also considers performances in the second Test between South Africa and the West Indies in Johannesburg, Temba Bavuma's match-winning 172 for the home side has lifted him 14 slots to a career best 15th position.

Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews is another one to move up the batting rankings, his scores of 47 and 115 taking him from 19th to 17th position. In the ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings, Bangladesh batter Najmul Hossain Shanto's scores of 51, 46 not out and 47 not out not only won him the Player of the Series award at home against England but have also lifted him 68 places to 16th position.

In the ODI Rankings, Nepal batters Rohit Paudel (up four places to 55th) and Aasif Sheikh (up 16 places to 62nd) and leg-spin bowler Sandeep Lamichhane (up five places to 21st) are among those to progress owing to their performances in matches of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 in Kirtipur, Nepal.