"Even Ashwin must be shocked seeing his name" - Twitter befuddled over off-spinner's inclusion in India's squad for T20 World Cup
Team India have named their squad for the upcoming home season as well as the 2022 T20 World Cup, with Ravichandran Ashwin being a notable inclusion in the team. The off-spinner has only played five T20Is since the last T20 World Cup.
Ashwin earned a T20 recall after four years was a part of the team for the 2021 edition of the tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The off-spinner's surprise inclusion over Yuzvendra Chahal caused quite a stir among fans and pundits alike.
The veteran player was not in the scheme of things when it comes to the shortest format. However, he earned a shock recall to the national T20 side after an eight-month absence for the tour of the Caribbean. Since his return, Ashwin has claimed five wickets in as many matches at an economy of 6.95.
Ashwin piped youngster Ravi Bishnoi to claim the spot of the second spinner in the squad, with Chahal being the lead spinner. The former U-19 World Cup finalist is named on the standby list along with the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, and Mohammad Shami.
The Tamil Nadu-born player's experience has been touted as his biggest strength. He has played a total of five T20Is Down Under for India over the years and has scalped five wickets at an economy of 7.4.
Twitter was far from pleased with Ashwin's selection as they felt Bishnoi was done hard by, especially since he played 10 T20Is this year and had already adapted to the team's brand of cricket.
Here is how the Twitterati reacted to the tricky selection call:
Team India squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup
Indian squad: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, R Pant (WK), Dinesh Karthik (WK), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Y Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, B Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.
Stand by: Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Shami, Deepak Chahar and Shreyas Iyer.
Is R Ashwin's selection over Ravi Bishnoi in the Team India squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup justified? Let us know what you think.