R Ashwin names this player as the major reason for team India’s loss in the Border Gavaskar trophy

Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket at the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy when the series was locked at 1-1. Lots of Indian fans had confidence even at that time that India would win the series, given the Melbourne and Sydney Tests still to come. This odds shifted in favor of the home team due to the return of a certain player in the last two Tests, who led to a 3-1 victory in the end. That player was pacer Scott Boland. Ashwin thought in hindsight that India would have won the series had Boland not played.

He took 21 wickets in three Tests in the series, being the third-highest wicket-taker. In particular, he starred in the last Test picked up 10 wickets and was named the ‘Player of the Match.’

Ashwin concluded that the injury to Josh Hazlewood that allowed Boland a return to the side for the last two Tests was a blessing in disguise.

“Everybody says Pat Cummins had a terrific series, but left-handers scored off him pretty well. Australia was lucky that Scott Boland played. If Boland hadn’t played, India would’ve won the series,” said Ashwin during a recent episode of his Hindi YouTube channel, Ash ki Baat.

“No offense to Josh Hazlewood; he’s a great bowler. But the way they used to operate; we would have won. Boland’s around-the-wicket-line to our left-handers posed major trouble,” added Ashwin.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar form an all-left-handed batting line-up of India in Test cricket. Boland got Jaiswal and Pant out a couple of times during the series while enjoying the reward of having got out Virat Kohli regularly.

Only 35, Boland might already have reached the late bloom of his career but entices as a real prospect to join Australia’s pantheon of the legendary fast bowler trio. In 13 Test matches, Boland has taken 56 wickets at a low average of 17.66.

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