When did India last play a Test match without either Ravichandran Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja?

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 has finally started between Australia and India, in Perth. On winning the toss, captain Jasprit Bumrah chose to bat first without having any second thoughts. When Bumrah revealed the playing XI, one strange thing which came to light was the absence of both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. 

Well, it was pretty clear that Jadeja would have been dropped from the team because of the pitch and also that Australia have three left-handers in the team. However, dropping off Ashwin wasn't anticipated at all. Instead of these legendary spinners, India went on with Washington Sundar who has also been up to the mark.

He was quite impressive against New Zealand on spin tracks, both with the bat and the ball. In the 2nd game, Sundar claimed 11 wickets and in the third, he got five wickets. Hence, the captain and management chose to show faith in him.

Interestingly, the last time the spin twins were out of the Test match was in the Gabba Test in 2021 where Washington Sundar made his debut. Ashwin was out of the team due to a back injury while Jadeja missed it because of a fractured thumb.

The debutant contributed with the bat and the ball, helping India get victory in the historic Test match. Sundar claimed four wickets in the game with the ball and a fifty with the bat in a crucial partnership with Shardul Thakur. The same enthusiasm is required in the ongoing 1st Test match against Australia. 

India is in huge trouble as Jaiswal and Padikkal depart on a duck against Australia

In the ongoing 1st Test match in Perth, the Indian team is finding it hard to settle down. The pitch is covered with green grass and looks bouncy. India's top order batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal went back to the pavilion thanks to Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood's outstanding bowling.

They kept on bowling with perfect variations, leading to the dismissals. Now, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are trying to form a partnership and put some runs on the board. As we write, India have made 21-2 in nine overs with Rahul playing on 14 runs and Kohli on one.