"Ashwin playing and not Sundar, the team management is clear" - Fans react as Ravichandran Ashwin is included in playing XI for IND vs AUS 1st ODI
Ravichandran Ashwin is making his comeback to India's playing XI after a gap of 21 months in the first ODI between India and Australia at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on Friday, September 22.
He has been included as a cover for the injured Axar Patel ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup. The latter suffered multiple injuries during the Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 game against Bangladesh.
Surprisingly, Ashwin has only played two ODIs in the last six years. His last ODI match came against South Africa in January 2022. The off-spinner managed a solitary wicket in his two outings during the three-match series.
Overall, Ashwin has scalped 151 wickets in 114 ODIs at an economy rate of 4.94. He has bagged 712 wickets across formats in international cricket so far.
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid recently said that Ashwin was always in their plans ahead of the marquee ICC event. He told in the pre-match press conference:
"Having someone of Ashwin's experience is always good for us. He gives you experience, the ability to contribute with the bat at number eight. He is someone we taught about in case of an injury or an opportunity opened up. He was always in our plans. He has not played much ODI cricket for a while, but someone of his experience can deal with that.”
Fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) were thrilled to witness the inclusion of the experienced Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of Washington Sundar. Here are some of the reactions:
India opt to field against Australia in 1st ODI
India's stand-in captain KL Rahul won the toss and chose to bowl first against Australia on Friday. Apart from Ravichandran Ashwin, the Men in Blue included Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mohammed Shami in the playing XI.
Mohammed Siraj, who recently took 6/21 in the Asia Cup 2023 final, was rested for the opening game.
Team India have also rested regular captain Rohit Sharma, vice-captain Hardik Pandya, senior batter Virat Kohli, and wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav for the first two ODIs.
Teams:
India XI: Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (w/c), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami.
Australia XI: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis (w), Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Short, Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa.
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