With the squad for the ODI series against Australia, the former player Irfan Pathan questions about the inclusion of the spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the series.
Inclusion of Ashwin In ODI Squad against Australia
India is set to play a three-match ODI series against Australia between September 22-27. Recently India has emerged as the Asia Cup 2023 champions extending its record with eight titles. With the World Cup nearing, Ashwin’s return to the ODI squad would likely replace the injured Axar Patel in the tournament.
Axar Patel got injured before the Asia Cup finals. The BCCI selectors chairman Ajit Agarkar hinted about the return of the injured Patel for the World Cup. If Axar Patel fails to recover before the deadline set by ICC for the announcement of the team, Ashwin will probably be filling in the squad.
However, the sudden inclusion of Ashwin in ODI doubts many experts as the spinner has been out of the ODI contest since January 2022. The former Player Irfan Pathan questions the decision of the BCCI as the spinner gets into the squad without much experience and should have played more games before the World Cup if he is the option.
“You can’t get a better spinner than Ashwin in the entire world. But in a tournament as big as the World Cup, where there is immense pressure, you can’t expect a senior player to walk in and play for the team in a format which he hasn’t played for a long time and prove his worth. So you are leaving it entirely to fate,” told Pathan.
“There is no planning here. Had there been a plan for Ashwin, they should have given him some game time before the World Cup. Yes, he will be playing against Australia, but is that enough? You have to bowl for 10 overs, adjust in the team as well, and give India that result. It isn’t that easy. Planning should have been better,” he concluded.
Other cricketer Mohammad Kaif also supports the statement of the Pathan, as the injury of the player Axar Patel is not a shallow one.
“If Axar hadn’t been injured then we wouldn’t have seen this move and Ashwin would have never been in the scene. Now Axar has suffered a strain injury and that takes time to recover from. No matter what they say, he will be back in a week’s time, but such injuries take at least 2-3 weeks to recover from. That is why they went for the experience in Ashwin. And remember, there is no comparison between Ashwin and Sundar. He has 900 wickets (712) across formats!”
India will be playing their first match of the ODI series against Australia on September 22 at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium.
