The mighty Australian cricket team is all set to lock horns against India on 22nd September (*Thursday) at Mohali. Ajit Agarkar led the selection panel have surprisingly recalled Ravichandran Ashwin into the ODI setup. Ravichandran Ashwin hasn’t played the ODI cricket since 2022 ODI series against South Africa.
The stalwarts Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli aren’t a part of the first 2 ODIs against Australia. In their absence the star batter KL Rahul is expected to keep the wickets as well. All eyes will be on Mohammed Siraj, we witnessed how he ripped apart Sri Lanka’s batting line up in the Asia Cup 2023 final.
Before the World Cup, Indian cricket suddenly remembers Ravichandran Ashwin- Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra was seen speaking on his You Tube channel and was quite confused that why BCCI include Ravichandran Ashwin into the squad when there is an ICC tournament only. Ravichandran Ashwin all of a sudden came into ICC T20 WC 2021 & 2022 edition as a premier spinner.
“Interestingly enough, this happens before every World Cup. If you look at the last two, three World Cups, he doesn’t get picked for a year leading up to the World Cup – whether it is T20 or ODI. Just before the World Cup, Indian cricket suddenly remembers Ashwin,” said Aakash Chopra.
“An off-spinner was being missed. The World Cup squad that was selected did not have an off-spinner. Due to Axar’s injury, suddenly there’s an opening and so, along with Washington Sundar, Ashwin has also come into the picture,” he stated.
“I feel when the match happens in Mohali, Ashwin will play ahead of Washi. Of course, Washington could also play because there are only three spinners in the team – Ravindra Jadeja, Ashwin and Sundar, I feel Ashwin will be the first-choice spinner and Sundar the second. When you pick a senior player, he straightaway moves to the front of the pecking order,” he added.
Ruthless Australia
Aussies would be aiming to start afresh after the losing the ODI series against South Africa. The lethal left handed batter David Warner will have to bat responsibly in the absence of the dashing left handed batter Travis Head who has a fracture and is assumed to miss half of the tournament.
The Aussies possess one of the dangerous bowling line up in the form of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins & Josh Hazlewood who can create problems for the batters even on a flat deck. At the same time, Aussies have the luxury of having quality all-rounders in the form of Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green & Mitchell Marsh which makes them invincible.