"There is no planning here" - Irfan Pathan puzzled by Ravichandran Ashwin's selection to the Indian squad for Australia ODIs
Former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan was baffled at Team India making a last-minute selection of senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to their squad for the three-match ODI series against Australia.
With the side looking to finalize their World Cup squad ahead of the September 28 deadline, the injury to Axar Patel has opened up a spot for a spin-bowling all-rounder. While it is undeniable that Ashwin is among the all-time greats in Test cricket, he has hardly featured in the Indian lineup in the 50-over format. His last ODI game came in January 2022.
Speaking to Star Sports, Irfan Pathan felt that Ravichandran Ashwin's selection after such a long hiatus shows a lack of planning.
"You can't get a better spinner than Ashwin in the entire world. But in a tournament as big as the World Cup, where there is immense pressure, you can't expect a senior player to walk in and play for the team in a format which he hasn't played for a long time and prove his worth. So you are leaving it entirely to fate. There is no planning here," Pathan said.
Irfan Pathan continued by saying with better planning, Ravichandran Ashwin would have got more game time in ODIs heading into the World Cup.
"Had there been a plan for Ashwin, they should have given him some game time before the World Cup. Yes, he will be playing against Australia, but is that enough? You have to bowl for 10 overs, adjust in the team as well and give India that result. It isn't that easy. Planning should have been better," he added.
The 37-year-old last played in the South Africa series in January last year and picked up only the lone wicket while conceding 121 runs in the two matches. That was after Ravichandran Ashwin didn't feature in the ODI format since mid-2017 against the West Indies, making it two ODI games for the veteran spinner since 2018.
"If Axar hadn't been injured then we wouldn't have seen this move" - Mohammad Kaif
Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif felt Ravichandran Ashwin would have never entered the discussion to be in the Indian ODI squad if Axar Patel was fit.
The left-arm spinner suffered a quadriceps injury during his defiant knock of 42 in India's loss to Bangladesh in their final Super Four clash of the Asia Cup. It meant the Indian management was forced to add another off-spinning all-rounder, Washington Sundar, to the side for the final against Sri Lanka.
Should Axar not recover on time for the World Cup, it could be a battle between Ashwin and Sundar for the second spin-bowling all-rounder spot behind Ravindra Jadeja.
"If Axar hadn't been injured then we wouldn't have seen this move and Ashwin would have never been in the scene. Now Axar has suffered a strain injury and that takes time to recover from. No matter what they say that he will be back in a week's time but such injuries take at least 2-3 weeks to recover from," Kaif said on Star Sports.
"That is why they went for the experience in Ashwin. And remember, there is no comparison between Ashwin and Sundar. He has 900 wickets (712) across formats," he added.
Despite not playing ODIs recently, Ravichandran Ashwin comes in with a wealth of experience in the format, picking up 151 wickets in 113 games at an average of 33.49 and an economy rate of under five runs per over.
The champion bowler also boasts impressive World Cup numbers, with 17 scalps in 10 games at an impressive average of 24.88 and an economy rate of 4.36 per over, including being part of the 2011 World Cup winning side.