Veteran Offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin Returns to India’s 2023 World Cup Squad
Ravichandran Ashwin, the veteran offspinner, has returned to India’s 2023 World Cup squad, replacing the injured Axar Patel. His impressive performance against Australia secured his place in the final 15-man team.
In a surprising turn of events, experienced offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin has made a triumphant return to India’s 15-man squad for the upcoming 2023 World Cup. The 37-year-old cricketer has been included in the final squad to replace Axar Patel, who had initially been named in the provisional World Cup squad but was unable to recover from a left quadriceps strain sustained during an Asia Cup match against Bangladesh on September 15.
Ashwin, who had not featured in India’s One Day International (ODI) team for the past year, seized the opportunity to make his comeback in the format, putting on an impressive display during two of the three home ODIs against Australia. He demonstrated his skills and versatility, claiming four crucial wickets across those two matches. His standout performance came in the second ODI in Indore, where he recorded figures of 3 for 41. Ashwin showcased his full repertoire of skills, leaving Australian openers David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne perplexed with his array of carrom balls, even on a favorable batting track at the Holkar Stadium.
With Ashwin’s inclusion in the squad, India now boasts a formidable spin attack, alongside the left-arm orthodox spin of Ravindra Jadeja and the left-arm wristspin of Kuldeep Yadav.
Prior to Ashwin’s inclusion, India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, had praised the veteran spinner’s ability to deliver under pressure. “He has got the class and the experience of playing the sport and handling the pressure,” Rohit stated. “It is just that he has not played ODIs in the last year or so, but you cannot take away the class and the experience… and in the last couple of games, we saw how well he bowled.”
This marks Ashwin’s third appearance in an ODI World Cup, with his previous two outings being in the 2011 World Cup, where India clinched the title, and the 2015 edition held in Australia. However, he was not selected for the 2019 World Cup when India opted to go with two leg spinners. In the intervening years, the team management has recognized the value of integrating finger-spin into their game plans.
The 2023 World Cup journey begins for Team India with a warm-up match against England in Guwahati on September 30, ahead of the main tournament.
Full Squad:
- Rohit Sharma (Captain)
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer
- KL Rahul (Wicket-Keeper)
- Ishan Kishan (Wicket-Keeper)
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Hardik Pandya (Vice-Captain)
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Shardul Thakur
- Mohammed Shami
- Mohammed Siraj
- Jasprit Bumrah
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