Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has opened up on the fourth Ashes 2025-26 Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). With the Test finishing inside two days, Ashwin said it was like watching a “racing thriller movie.”
Day 1 of the MCG Test saw 20 wickets falling as both Australia and England were bowled out once each. Due to the seam movement on offer, Australia struggled and set 175 for England to win after a 42-run lead. Although England have lost the Ashes, they secured a nervy four-wicket win.
Speaking to a journalist in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel ‘Ashwin,’ the 39-year-old reflected on the pitch discourse and said:
“Let’s take for example how the Test finished at Eden Gardens recently. We ourselves said it. Having played cricket for several years, we criticize ourselves justly for pitches. But the other countrymen are not doing the same. They are talking highly about themselves and lowly about us.”
With the pitch in the fourth Ashes Test coming massively under scrutiny due to extreme seam movement, Ashwin said he won’t criticize it. However, the Tamil Nadu-born cricketer opined that the pitch conditions in every country should be assessed on an equal scale.
“Australia have produced Shane Warne and Nathan Lyon but New Zealand and England haven’t produced any great spinner yet. The beauty of Test cricket is to adapt to foreign conditions. I won’t criticize the MCG pitch either because it’s common for both teams. It was fun to watch. It was like watching a racing thriller film. But I feel double standards must be avoided,” he added.
England captain Ben Stokes and Australian captain Steve Smith both slammed the conditions in Melbourne, saying that it’s not a good advert for Test cricket. It is also the second time in this Ashes series that a Test ended in less than two days.
“Brydon Carse’s delivery to him was stunning” – Ravichandran Ashwin on England seamer in 4th Ashes Test
In the same video, Ashwin said that Brydon Carse’s delivery to castle Travis Head on Day 2 was unplayable, further underlining the tricky nature of the surface.
“Travis Head got beauties in both the innings. On Day 2, Brydon Carse’s delivery to him was stunning and all Travis Head could do was walk off smiling. ICC and match referee will give marks for the pitch, curators will speak about it – all these things will happen. Again, double standards must be avoided,” he said.
“Match officials and referees will talk about the pitch. There were likeable things about this pitch but if it was a pitch tried to make the game faster, I question that tactic. Australia might have asked for a lively pitch because England are 0-3 and batters might get out easily,” he added.
The 106-Test veteran recalled how Stokes’ men put pressure on India in 2024 with some extravagant strokeplay. While Ashwin argued that England have the elements to bat at a breakneck pace, he felt they cannot consistently challenge oppositions with the ball.
“When England came to India, Bazball truly came to life during the first Test in Hyderabad. Ollie Pope played an incredible knock. What I noticed was, Bazball was able to pile pressure on the opposition. They put pressure on the Indian team. But they were toothless in bowling. They have the element in batting to take on the opposition, as they showed in the fourth innings at MCG,” Ashwin said.
“They stepped out to Michael Neser and Scott Boland because they don’t bowl that fast. England were able to take them on and put pressure while chasing 175. But they don’t have the bowling tooth to keep coming incisively over 4-5 days. They want short games,” he concluded.
The fifth and final Ashes Test begins on January 4 in Sydney.
Edited by Parag Jain
