After days of will he? won’t he? veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was drafted in the Team India’s World Cup Squad on Thursday. The 37-year-old spinner, who was not in Team India’s World Cup plans till last month, will be making his third 50-over World Cup appearance. Ashwin was part of the World Cup-winning Indian squad in 2011 and Indian management would be hoping to repeat the glory with Ashwin in the side.
The ace off-spinner was included after Axar Patel failed to recover from an injury on time.
Earlier this month, Ashwin returned to ODI setup after 20 months for the three-match IND vs AUS ODI series that concluded on Wednesday, hinting Team India’s intention of him being looked at as a possible option.
Ashwin played the first two games, where he picked up four wickets including 3/41 in the second game on high-scoring Indore pitch.
Ashwin’s surprise return, no first time
Notably, this is not the first time Ashwin has find his way back to World Cup squad from nowhere.
In 2021, Ashwin returned to India’s T20 set-up and was named in the squad of 15 for the 2021 T20 World Cup. It was a surprise move considering he didn’t play a single T20I in 4 years before being called back.
Ashwin now has forced his way back in last three ICC events – 2021 T20 World Cup, the 2022 T20 World Cup and the World Cup 2023.
But it is not hard to believe why the selectors turned to Ashwin in big ICC tournaments. With 155 wickets from 115 ODIs, Ashwin brings a lot of experience to the squad. The Tamil Nadu player is considered one of the most intelligent cricketers in modern cricket. The 37-year-old has been a consistent wicket-taker for India, especially on Indian pitches. His ability to contribute with the bat down the order adds to his extraordinary CV.
Ashwin in ODI World Cup
Overs: 97.0
Wickets: 17
Average: 24.88
4 Wickets in Innings: 1
Best: 4/25
With the return of India’s ace spinner, Team India will be hoping to repeat the 2011 World Cup glory for the second time at home.
The post Team India send SOS to Ravichandran Ashwin again seeking World Cup glory appeared first on Inside Sport India.
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