"He could certainly do a job at No.8"- Sanjay Bangar backs Ravichandran Ashwin to do well in World Cup if Axar Patel is injured
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar reckons Ravichandran Ashwin can capably replace Axar Patel if the latter doesn't recover in time for the upcoming World Cup.
Axar has been out of action since facing a tear in his quadriceps during the Asia Cup game against Bangladesh on September 15. Meanwhile, Ashwin has played a couple of ODIs against Australia and has also picked up four wickets.
Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the third ODI between India and Australia in Rajkot, here's what Sanjay Bangar had to say about Ravichandran Ashwin:
"If Axar Patel doesn't get fit soon then it will be a problem (for his World Cup chances) as Ashwin will have his bowling to offer. His stats with the bat aren't as good in ODIs as they are in Tests, but he could certainly do a job at No.8 if needed."
On whether it would be fair to drop Axar Patel, Bangar added:
"Look it will depend on the conditions as well. If you find conditions in Chennai are such that you have to play third spinner against Australia, and if you don't have Axar available, then you need to make the change."
He added:
"You can't just play some other combination and wait for the player to get fit later. It's a long tournament just like the IPL and you need to start well rather than thinking about deep end of the tournament."
Sanjay Bangar on Ravichandran Ashwin's sudden inclusion
Quite a few questions have been asked about Ashwin suddenly coming into Team India's scheme of things. However, Sanjay Bangar opined that last-minute injuries sometimes lead to opportunities like these for players and that they should make the most of it.
He said:
"Timing is such a thing that you are sometimes nowhere in the picture and suddenly an injury propels you into the reckoning. This is what has happened with Ashwin and we have seen it with KL Rahul too, who was not a part of the team in the Asia Cup but got a chance only because Shreyas Iyer got a stiff back. Since then, he hasn't looked behind."
Axar Patel has reportedly been ruled out of the third ODI. Only time will tell whether he will be able to get fit in time for the World Cup with the selection deadline being September 28.