When Shardul Thakur was ruled out of the second Test between India and England, there was much debate over who would replace him.
Despite the fact that Thakur is a seamer, Ravichandran Ashwin appeared to be the obvious replacement, given his excellent pedigree with the ball and his ability to score invaluable lower order runs.
However, India skipper Virat Kohli had said after the first Test that it was likely his side would continue to play four seamers and one spinner.
"Most likely it will be a template going ahead in the series, but again, adaptability has been a strength of ours as well," he said. "This looks like the right template for us moving forward."
And that proved to be the case, with India picking Ishant Sharma as Thakur's replacement, instead of Ashwin.
Speaking after the toss, Kohli explained: "We announced 12 within the group and Ashwin definitely was part of that.
"But after looking at the pitch, the conditions and considering how a fourth seamer can be an attacking option, this makes the most sense for us as a team."
However, Ashwin's omission has been questioned, with former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta claiming that Kohli will be wondering if it was "a mistake" not to pick the off-spinner.
Speaking on BBC Test Match Special, he said: "Virat Kohli won't admit it but in the back of his mind he will be thinking about whether he made a mistake leaving Ravichandran Ashwin out."
Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes Ashwin should have played, tweeting on day one of the Test: "Feels like England have picked the right team & India haven’t … Ashwin should have played for India to give them more Batting plus his quality bowling … He bowls well in all conditions ..."
Ex-India batsman VVS Laxman has also questioned Ashwin's absence and he believes it is unlikely that India the 34-year-old will be picked any time soon.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Laxman said: "For me, I am not able to comprehend what changes from the World Test Championship final when Ashwin was your go-to first-choice spinner, and in a matter of a month’s time, he is not even finding a place in the playing XI.
"I still feel that four fast bowlers is a luxury, irrespective of the conditions you are playing on. India has got three quality fast bowlers, whether it was Siraj or Ishant Sharma, it doesn’t matter, because both of them are quality fast bowlers who have got the ability to bowl long spells.
"Ashwin gets that variety to the bowling attack, and he has got abundance of experience. So, I am not able to comprehend the reasoning behind this decision.
"I think it is very clear listening to Virat Kohli that he wants to continue with this template. It is very clear that Ashwin will have to wait for his time.
"If Ashwin is not playing in these conditions at Lord’s, I don’t see him getting into this playing XI, and I don’t see Virat Kohli changing the template very soon.
