Following India’s triumphant victory in the Asia Cup 2023, Captain Rohit Sharma made it clear that veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin remains a viable option for the ODI squad and is being considered for the upcoming World Cup in 2023.
BCCI had revealed India’s provisional squad of 15 players for the 2023 World Cup earlier this month, and surprisingly, it did not include two of the country’s top off-spinning all-rounders, R Ashwin and Washington Sundar.
However, Sundar’s fortunes took a turn when he was called up to the Asia Cup squad due to an injury to Axar Patel during a match against Bangladesh. Sundar arrived in Colombo on a Saturday and was immediately slotted into India’s playing XI for the final against Sri Lanka on Sunday, replacing the injured Axar. Interestingly, though, Sundar didn’t get the chance to bowl or bat as India swiftly dismantled Sri Lanka, bowling them out in just 15.2 overs and chasing the target down in a mere 6.1 overs to win the final by 10 wickets.
This sudden inclusion of Sundar in the Asia Cup final XI sent a clear signal that he might have edged ahead of R Ashwin in the pecking order for the off-spinner’s role. With the final squad for the World Cup set to be finalized by September 27, the management could very well consider Sundar for the crucial spinning all-rounder position.
Captain Rohit Sharma has also acknowledged that he has had discussions with R Ashwin, indicating that the 37-year-old is still very much in contention for the spinning all-rounder spot.
“For the spin bowling all-rounder slot many people are in line. Including R Ashwin who I have been talking to regularly on the phone. Along with Ashwin, Axar and Washington too,” Rohit Sharma said in the press conference after India’s Asia Cup title win in Colombo.
On the other hand, R Ashwin was recently seen training with the white ball under the watchful eyes of National Cricket Academy chief VVS Laxman and spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahatule.
Rohit Sharma Explains Why Sundar was Included in the Squad
Rohit explained that the decision to include Washington Sundar was made because he was deemed to be in good cricketing shape during his training sessions with the Asian Games squad in Bengaluru. Washington Sundar is set to represent the Indian men’s cricket team at the upcoming Asian Games, which kick off on September 23rd.
“Washi was honestly, that Injury happened to Axar late in the night. We had to call a few guys to see where they are at. Washi was available and we had to get him to come and play the role. Luckily, he was with the squad in the Asian Games squad in Bangalore, he was bowling, he was training and he was cricket fit. So he was spending a lot of time on the field. We had to get him,” Rohit further added.
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