Team India is heading into yet another World Cup with high hopes and expectations, which will be even higher since they are hosting the mega event this time. Questions were raised on certain selection choices, including taking an all-left-arm spin attack to the World Cup to bolster the batting. However, the recent injury to Axar Patel has forced the selectors to look towards veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Ravichandran Ashwin has been called up to the side that will play Australia and is considered a favorite to make the cut if Axar does not recover in time.
Axar Patel suffered a hamstring injury during India’s game against Bangladesh in the Super 4 stage of Asia Cup 2023 and was ruled out of the finals. Washington Sundar was called up to the finals and was directly slotted into the side that played Sri Lanka. Sundar, however, did not have to bat or ball as Mohammed Siraj annihilated the Sri Lankan batting lineup.
The management has made the case even more complicated by calling up Ravichandran Ashwin into the white-ball squad after 21 long months. Axar Patel has been training in the NCA and there is no certainty that he will be fit for the World Cup. Former Indian cricketer Piyush Chawla had his say on the matter, and went on to back Ashwin for the spot of the spin-bowling all-rounder.
When we missed Axar Patel due to injury (Asia Cup final), they must have thought we need a batting all-rounder to give proper batting which is the reason they called Washington Sundar – Piyush Chawla
The former India leggie said during his discussion during ESPN-Cricinfo that Ravichandran Ashwin is definitely ahead of his Tamil Nadu teammate for a place in the World Cup squad, as Ashwin is a better bowler than Sundar with his variations and awareness of the game. Chawla went on to say that Team India should not compromise their bowling lineup in pursuit of having a longer tail.
“Just from a bowling point of view, we all know the calibre of bowler Ravichandran Ashwin is, be it white or red ball. He is a great bowler, great thinker of the game. So, in terms of bowling, he is ahead of Washington Sundar” said Piyush Chawla.
“Will look at it purely from a bowling point of view because we have batting till No. 8. So if eight batsmen can’t do the job, can’t expect No. 9 to do the job. So purely the bowling should be looked at and it depends on how both of them bowl in this series” he added.