As a substitute for the injured Axar Patel in India's 15-person team, experienced spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will participate in his third 50-overs World Cup. India made this quick change a few hours before the September 28 (today) period was set to expire. Axar, who is still recovering from a left quadriceps strain and is believed to need another three weeks to get back to full fitness, was a shoe-in for Ashwin, 36, who was selected in India's ODI squad for the three-match series against Australia and picked up four wickets from two games, including 3/41 in Indore.
The change became obvious when Ashwin travelled to Guwahati to train with the Indian team before their World Cup warm-up match against England on Saturday whereas Axar did not. It was quickly accepted by ICC via a formal post. "Axar Patel was injured during India's Asia Cup Super Four match against Bangladesh, straining his left hamstring. He was unable to heal in time for the World Cup. As a result, the all-rounder who bowls spin missed the Asia Cup championship match, according to an official statement from the ICC.
Fair enough, Ashwin's inclusion in India's World Cup strategy was only a matter of time. After India's five-wicket victory in the series opener, Ashwin was first observed rushing for a late-night batting practise. This was the first concrete indication of his potential involvement. Despite having played his last ODI in January of last year, ahead of the Australia series, India thought they could rely on Ashwin's experience over Washington Sundar's all-around skills. Washington is about to travel to China to compete in the Asian Games.
On October 8, India's World Cup campaign will get underway against Australia in Chennai, where the grounds have historically been slow and conducive to spin. Ashwin, who has played a number of games there for India and Chennai Super Kings, would come in very handy for captain Rohit Sharma. Ashwin, the sole specialist off-spinner in the lineup, provides 115 ODI experience and 155 wickets.
When given the ball in Indore, Ashwin removed any reservations that might have been after finishing with 1/47 in the first ODI at Mohali. Right-handed batter David Warner was foxed by him, and he then castled Marnus Labuschagne with a carrom ball-cum-flipper combination. Washington leaked the fewest runs of any of the other players in the third and final ODI, but Ashwin had already contributed to securing a spot in the World Cup 15 when he was dropped, making room for Sundar.
*Journey of Ashwin from ODI exit to successful comeback
Ashwin is thus the only member of India's World Cup-winning 2011 team to participate in cricket's biggest event in 12 years, along with Virat Kohli. In the 2015 World Cup in Australia/New Zealand, Ashwin helped India get to the semifinals by picking up 13 wickets from eight games. He continued to play a key role in India's white-ball system up till the 2017 Champions Trophy.
To close the door on Ashwin, who did not play in the 2019 World Cup, Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri turned to the wrist-spinning duo of Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal after realising the need for more effective wicket-taking options during the middle overs. However, Ashwin has been brought back for one last chance because Yuzi's value is decreasing.
But with top selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit frequently answering inquiries about Ashwin over the past month or two, his return looked imminent. Agarkar had stated that although Ashwin was a possibility when India's selection for the Asian Cup was released in August, the team decided to go with Axar due to the batting depth he provided. Sundar was later flown in when Axar got hurt prior to the final, even though his involvement in the game was minimal and was limited to fielding as India thrashed Sri Lanka.
Since then, Rohit has consistently praised Ashwin, even claiming to have spoken with the off-spinner on the phone at the conclusion of the Asia Cup. Even the coach, Rahul Dravid, said during yesterday's post-game news conference that no changes to India's World Cup roster were expected, but given that Agarkar received regular updates on Axar from the NCA, his fitness wasn't believed to be good.
India's updated and final World Cup squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya (Vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.
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