"I don't see a place for him" - Gautam Gambhir on whether Ravichandran Ashwin will play in IND vs AUS 2023 World Cup final
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir feels there's no reason for the Men in Blue to change their winning combination ahead of the 2023 World Cup final to be played against Australia in Ahmedabad.
Ravichandran Ashwin played in India's opening game of the campaign against Australia and there were talks whether the veteran spinner would play the final too. However, Gambhir feels the current bowling attack is working really well and doesn't need any changes.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda ahead of the final, here's what Gautam Gambhir had to say about India's bowling combination:
"I don't think so (on whether Ashwin will play). I don't see a place for him and why would you even tinker with what is working for you. What better performance can you expect from your five bowlers."
He further added:
"It's a tough call. But I still feel whoever will win the toss will look to bat first. Runs on the board are runs on the board in a final. Let's see depending on the conditions. It will depend on the kind of pitch whether we will get a high-scoring or low-scoring encounter."
Gautam Gambhir's message to Team India
Gautam Gambhir delivered with the bat in both the 2007 T20 World Cup final (75) and 2011 World Cup final (97). He certainly knows how to handle pressure on big occasions.
Gambhir opined that the players need to just focus on the match-up between the bat and ball and ignore the rest. He stated:
"At the end of the day, it's just a battle between bat and ball. They don't know that it's a final. The occasion is in your head. As professional cricketers, you need to push it aside a bit if you want to deliver under pressure. I hope India wins the World Cup, but even if results don't go their way, they have played good cricket and have made the country proud."
Captain Rohit Sharma seemed calm and composed at the press conference on the eve of the final and will be focused on clinching glory for India.