Ravichandran Ashwin, seemingly out of nowhere, managed to sneak into the ODI setup of the current Indian team despite not playing ample ODI cricket in the last 4 years. Ravichandran Ashwin can fox the batters with his variations and can also play a handy knock at the back end of the innings.
BCCI’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar, alongside Indian Captain Rohit Sharma in a virtual press conference, announced the 17-member squad for the upcoming home 3-match ODI series against Australia starting on 22nd September in Mohali. We can expect a run-fest as there are chances that dew may come into action
Rohit Sharma’s major influence on Ravichandran Ashwin’s ODI Return
Rohit Sharma, in the press conference after the Asia Cup 2023 Final win on Sunday, mentioned that the spin bowling slot in the team is open for everyone including Ravichandran Ashwin with whom he’s been in constant touch through phone calls. This statement came after Axar Patel got injured in the match against Bangladesh in Asia Cup 2023, and India had to call up Washington Sundar from India at the eleventh hour for the finals.
Lack of Game Time for Ravichandran Ashwin in the ODI Format is Not a Concern – Rohit Sharma
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma emphasizes that Ravichandran Ashwin’s time on the field especially in ODI isn’t a concern because of this experience who has played around 100 test and 150 ODIs and it is more about the Mental readiness than physical fitness.
“With the kind of experience Ravichandran Ashwin has, he has played close to 100 Test matches close to 150 ODIs. He’s been consistently playing Test cricket. With guys like Ashwin having time on the field is not a concern,” said Rohit Sharma.
With the kind of experience he has, for guys like him, it’s all in the head more than the body. Speaking to him, understanding him where he’s with this body. It’s not like he’s not played cricket, he’s not played the format (ODIs), has played TNPL. Games against Australia will give us a chance to see where’s he at,” he added.
Elevated World Cup Hopes for Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar as Axar Patel faces injury
The chances have brightened for Sundar or Ashwin, both of whom are right-handed off-break spinners, to make it to the World Cup squad by impressing the selectors and the captain in the upcoming home ODI series since Axar Patel picked up a hand injury. India can include one of them if Axar doesn’t recover from the injury in time. Notably, Axar has been included in the team for the 3rd ODI (subject to fitness).
Ravichandran Ashwin, who last played an ODI, faced South Africa in January 2022, while Sundar’s most recent ODI appearance was in the Asia Cup 2023 final against Sri Lanka, during which he didn’t have the opportunity to bat or bowl. The 37-year-old Ashwin has featured in 113 ODIs for India and has taken 151 wickets, whereas the 23-year-old Sundar has played 17 ODIs and has claimed 16 wickets.
Speaking of their batting stats, Ashwin has scored 707 ODI runs in 63 ODI innings with an average of 16.44, whereas Sundar has scored 233 runs in the 9 ODI innings he has played so far, with an average of 29.12. Moreover, Ashwin has played 42 ODIs in India and has taken 65 wickets with a bowling average of 30.88.