'Ashwin played or not..': Ravi Shastri comes down hard on Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid

The WTC Final 2023 commenced and following what transpired on Day 1, it can be gauged that Australia have got the momentum that they wanted. After 85 overs Australia are 327 for 3 and the partnership between Travis Head and Steve Smith has exceeded the 250-run mark. The well-settled pair will look to take the score further today and for India to make a comeback, breakthroughs are needed. Ravi Shastri, who is a part of the commentary panel, expressed his views on the performance of Team India after Day 1 and highlighted how the team got it wrong tactically.

After winning the toss and opting to field, India had powered an upper hand over Australia till lunch but after that, it was all Aussies as Steve Smith and Travis Head remained unbeaten till stumps. The slight advantage that India gained after sending Usman Khawaja, David Warner, and Marnus Labuschagne back to the pavilion quickly disappeared and in hindsight, experts tried to debunk how India let it slip. While many stated Ashwin's removal from the playing XI as one of the factors. Ravi Shastri, however, had a different view.

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Ravi Shastri reveals tactical mistakes that Team India committed on day 1

Following the culmination of Day 1, former India head coach Ravi Shastri said that India would have been "tactically much sounder" had Siraj and Shami been optimally utilized. Here's what he said.

"Once you had picked the team, it's fine - Ashwin played or not and that you fielded. But you could have been tactically much sounder after that. Siraj and Shami had to bowl their second spells in the first session."

The former Indian head coach feels Siraj and Shami were overused with the new ball. "They gave too long spells to Shami and Siraj at the start. You know they have not played first-class cricket for three or four months and it will be difficult to bowl the entire day. The thinking should have been that this pitch will improve once the sun comes out, so they should have been preserved and used at the right time."

While the first Day of the World Test Championship final did not pan out the way Rohit Sharma and co intended it to be but there is time for a comeback. India vs Australia WTC Final Day 2 will start at 3 PM IST. 

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