File photo by R Ashwin© AFP
The Indian cricket team pulled a rabbit out of the hat when the selectors handed veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin a return to the ODI team just weeks before the World Cup. Ashwin will feature for the team in the three-match ODI series against Australia and it is strongly believed that he could replace the injured Axar Patel in the squad for the next World Cup as well. However, not many are happy with this ‘unplanned’ move by the Board of Control for Cricket in India as Ashwin has not featured in a 50-over match for India since January 2022.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan slammed the team management’s decision and suggested that while there is no better spinner in the world than Ashwin, the off-spinner should have been given more matches in the format ahead of the World Cup if he had done. in the selection battle.
“You can’t get a better spinner than Ashwin in the entire world. But in a tournament as big as the World Cup, where the pressure is immense, you can’t expect a senior player to come in and play for the team.” a format he hasn’t played in a long time and is proving his worth. So you leave it completely to fate,” Pathan told Star Sports.
“There is no planning here. If there was a plan for Ashwin, they should have given him some game time before the World Cup. Yes, he is playing against Australia, but is that enough? You have to bowl 10 overs, and that too within the team adapt and give India that result. It’s not that simple. The planning could have been better,” he added.
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif, who was also part of the discussion alongside Irfan Pathan, believes that the nature of Axar’s injury will not allow him to return anytime soon.
“If Axar had not been injured, we would not have seen this move and Ashwin would never have been in the scene. Now, Axar has suffered an overuse injury and that will take time to recover from. Whatever they say, he will do it. ” I’ll be back in a week, but recovery from such injuries takes at least 2-3 weeks. That’s why they went for the Ashwin experience. And remember, there is no comparison between Ashwin and Sundar. He has 900 wickets (712) across formats!” he claimed.
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