A forlorn Ravichandran Ashwin sitting in the dressing room balcony at The Oval made for one of the most telling sights on the opening day of the WTC final.

As the overcast conditions made way for a clear sky by the afternoon, India’s battery of four seamers struggled against Steve Smith and Travis Head. The early life on the wicket had disappeared as the pacers found it difficult to extract much movement with the Dukes ball.

Ravindra Jadeja had to go through an extended spell — seven overs each in the post-lunch and the final sessions — and Rohit Sharma certainly missed Ashwin, Test cricket’s No.1 bowler. The presence of four lefthanders in the Australian top-seven would have made Ashwin a real threat.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting felt that the dryness underneath the surface, which had more than just a sprinkling of grass, would have helped the off-spinner.

“Australia have many left-handers... Ashwin would have troubled the left-handers more than Jadeja. I saw the grass, yes there was grass but the deeper I looked, it seemed dry to me,” Ponting said on Star Sports.

Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, also echoed similar sentiments.

“That’s an after-thought and I don’t believe in after-thoughts once the toss is done,” he said on Ashwin’s exclusion. “Every captain is different and Rohit had his own ideas. The conditions suited four fast bowlers and India have won Test matches with such an attack. But I would have personally thought twice before keeping a spinner of his quality out of the XI.”

Ashwin has been made to sit out in England previously too. In the 2021 series, he didn’t play any of the five Test matches.

Rohit Sharma, speaking at the toss, said: “It has always been tough (to not include Ashwin). He has been such a matchwinner for us. Leaving him out is not a great occasion but you have to do things needed for the team.”

India had erred by including Ashwin and Jadeja in the inaugural WTC final in cold and blustery Southampton. New Zealand triumphed with four specialist seamers besides a fifth option in all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme. Hopefully, India won’t have to repent their decision to play four pacers this time.