Bring back Ravichandran Ashwin for the ODI series against Australia
It will be interesting to watch if Ashwin, one of India’s best match-winners in Test history, makes it to the home World Cup at the last minute after being deemed unnecessary in ODI and T20I cricket.
After being chosen for the forthcoming ODI series against Australia, presumably as a replacement for the injured Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin may finally make it to the World Cup roster. In the first two games of the practice series, the champion off-spinner, whose recent white-ball outings for India have been few and far between, is a member of the 15-man squad and one of the two reserves. At Mohali (September 22), Indore (September 24), and Rajkot (September 27), India will face Australia.
The first two games will be skipped by senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav before the preliminary World Cup XI assembles for the third game in Rajkot. The first two games will feature KL Rahul as the team’s captain. Changes can be made up until September 28 when Ashwin is still not formally a member of India’s World Cup team; after that date, any modification requires ICC clearance.
The topic of conversation will be Ashwin’s inclusion. The world cup squad’s selection appeared to be motivated by fear of failure rather than a fearless pursuit of success with the greatest tools at hand when it was announced. They carefully selected the pitches, going with the probable slow turners against some of the bigger teams, but they later changed their minds after becoming concerned about the imbalance. They started looking for bat-friendly bowlers, and Yuzvendra Chahal and Ashwin were both passed up. It was surprising since Ashwin, the batsman, is more than capable of scoring runs if the situation changes because he plays against spin better than many players in the lower half.
It will be interesting to watch if Ashwin, one of India’s best match-winners in Test history, makes it to the home World Cup at the last minute after being deemed unnecessary in ODI and T20I cricket. It at least demonstrates that the team’s leadership is considering their decisions and is prepared to reconsider them if required.
Washington Sundar, a fellow off-spinner, has also been considered and even participated in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka on Sunday without getting to bat or bowl, but he is unlikely to overtake Ashwin in the lineup if necessary.
Despite the selectors’ and team management’s optimism that Axar will make a full recovery in time after suffering a hamstring injury during the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh in Colombo, Ashwin was seen as a potential replacement in the event of a vacancy.
If Ashwin is truly called up, Rohit is convinced that his expertise will ensure that his performance won’t be hampered by playing less recent white-ball cricket.
“Game time is not a worry for Ashwin because he has been playing consistently in Tests. It’s a smart idea to bring him in if he is needed for the World Cup. Although it was in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, he has also been playing recently. The India captain said during the virtual news conference to introduce the team that right now, more than the body, it’s all in the head.
Giving some of the players who have been playing frequently recently was preferred as a huge event approached. After the three one-day internationals against Australia, India plays two exhibition matches before the World Cup competition begins.
“We got through a fair amount of cricket in the Asia Cup, and sometimes it’s necessary to give players a mental break,” said head of selectors Ajit Agarkar. We get a chance to check out some of the other guys because of it. The team we chose is strong, and we made sure everyone has played enough cricket to qualify for the World Cup.
ideal fit for the circumstances
Given some of the venues the hosts will play in during the World Cup, Ashwin’s potential selection to the team could be advantageous for India. In Lucknow, where they take on England, Kolkata, where they play South Africa, and Delhi, the surfaces are thought to be spin-friendly, a description that applies to most significant grounds in the nation. India’s campaign begins against Australia at Ashwin’s home stadium in Chennai.
In such a scenario, Ashwin’s wisdom, cunning, and experience would certainly be more advantageous than Axar’s, who hasn’t been particularly effective with the ball in recent white-ball cricket. Even though he can’t be considered a true all-rounder in ODIs, Ashwin can be counted on to score some runs lower in the order.
Expectations ahead of the World Cup have been increased by India’s annihilation of Sri Lanka on Sunday, when they bowled them out for 50 and won with all 10 wickets in hand in 37 balls. However, Rohit emphasised the need of maintaining composure and avoiding injuries.
We can’t always field the same starting lineup. As we look around, we observe that numerous teams have sustained injuries. During the World Cup, there will be a lot of traveling. It’s crucial to have a solid bench, with players who are prepared to play having game experience behind them, in his opinion.
Regardless of the outcome, it’s critical to maintain equilibrium and objectivity. Our recent successes have guaranteed that confidence is strong, and it is our responsibility to make sure that the team is in a good mood and that the players are at ease. Despite our strong result, we are not currently concentrating on it in preparation for another significant competition.
KL Rahul will head the team for the first two ODIs, along with Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.
Squad for third ODI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya, (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel (subject to fitness), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohammed Siraj.
