Recently, former senior cricketer Amit Mishra opined about the reason why India’s top spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin had not been chosen in the squad earlier. The veteran spinner spoke to JioCinema and Sports18 in this regard and said that he feels Aswin has been called as a backup for the tournament in case any of the other spinners get injured.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s entry in the ODI series squad against Australia has caught the attention of fans, and since then, several cricketers and spokespersons have been expressing their views on the former’s inclusion in the ODI series and possibly the World Cup as well.
Ashwin as Axar Patel’s replacement?
During one of the Super 4 fixtures of the Asia Cup 2023, India’s left arm spinner Axar Patel suffered a thigh injury, due to which he had to stay out of all the remainder matches. To this extent, the management called spinners R. Ashwin and Washington Sundar as Axar’s replacement cards.
Undoubtedly, Ashwin is one of India’s top spin bowlers, and it is also true that India has only a handful of spin bowling all-rounders to choose from. Each time India had a crisis among its chosen spinners, Ashwin has always been there to back the team and proven his ability to play well, even at the age of 37. Yet once again, Ashwin has been called into the squad for the Ind-Aus Series so that his abilities can be tested ahead of the World Cup 2023, which can get him a ticket to India’s World Cup squad.
Amit Mishra’s statement
The veteran spinner feels that, with Aswin last playing for India in December 2021 against South Africa, the latter’s addition to the squad holds some other significance for the management. Amit hailed Ashwin as a quality bowler and wicketkeeper, configuring that the only reason he had been inactive in the game was due to his fielding.
He further added, “The Indian team will be looking at how Aswin will be bowling against Australia and assessing if he still has the wicket-taking abilities in this format.” The only reason he is not on the team is because of his fielding and right-handed batting ability. Jadeja and Axar are both lefties. Washington is a young player and has shown wicket-taking abilities aside from being a batting option. Plus, he provides an advantage with his fielding, something that holds importance in ODI’s”.
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