Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Ravichandran Ashwin's ODI recall ft. Arjuna Ranatunga
Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin received a call-up to the ODI side for the first time since January 2022 and the decision certainly has raised quite a few eyebrows.
Moreover, captain Rohit Sharma told reporters that Ashwin could also be in contention for the World Cup, something that has been received with mixed reactions in the cricketing fraternity.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar were added to the squad that would face Australia for three ODIs as Axar Patel has been sidelined with a strain that he sustained during India's Asia Cup 2023 clash against Bangladesh.
On that note, let's take a look at how some of the cricket experts have reacted to Ashwin's inclusion:
#5 Aakash Chopra
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra shed light on how Team India have had to go back to Ravichandran Ashwin in the recent past as well with the 2021 and 2022 editions of the T20 World Cup.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra said:
"Interestingly enough, this happens before every World Cup. If you look at the last two, three World Cups, he doesn’t get picked for a year leading up to the World Cup - whether it is T20 or ODI. Just before the World Cup, Indian cricket suddenly remembers Ashwin. I feel Ashwin will be the first-choice spinner and Sundar the second."
Aakash Chopra feels since Ashwin has been brought back because of his experience, he would pip Sundar in the pecking order.
#4 Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif believes India had to go back to Ashwin's experience after a key player like Axar Patel got injured. The former cricketer reckons Axar may not recover as soon as the team management reckons he will (before the third ODI).
Here's what he told Star Sports:
"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 he will be back in a week but such injuries take at least 2-3 weeks to recover from. That is why they went for the experience in Ashwin."
Kaif opined that there's not even a debate about who among Ravichandran Ashwin and Sundar would play as he believes the veteran off-spinner has done enough to be picked in the XI.
#3 Irfan Pathan
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan was a bit baffled by Ravichandran Ashwin's selection. He felt that it would be a bit too harsh to expect Ashwin to hit the ground running straightaway, given the fact that the off-spinner last played an ODI more than 18 months ago.
On this, Pathan told Star Sports:
"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."
Irfan Pathan claimed that Ravichandran Ashwin needed to play some more ODI cricket if he was in the World Cup plans.
#2 Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh has been pretty vocal already about the absence of a genuine wicket-taker like Yuzvendra Chahal and Ashwin's selection left him even more perplexed. He feels the last-minute changes by bringing Ravichandran Ashwin into the scheme of things could cause more confusion.
On this, here's what Harbhajan had to say in a video on his YouTube channel:
"They have probably realized their mistake that they haven't picked an off-spinner in the team and that our bowlers can get into trouble if a lot of left-handers come in front of them. Why unnecessarily go through all this? It is beyond my understanding or they are going to make another mistake to rectify their earlier mistake."
Harbhajan also explained how India will more often than not play Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja together, thereby not finding any spot for either Ashwin or Sundar.
#1 Arjuna Ranatunga
Former Sri Lankan legendary skipper and World Cup winner Arjuna Ranatunga knows a thing or two about winning the competition in the subcontinent, having achieved the feat in 1996.
He accepted that while Ravichandran Ashwin may not be a gun fielder, the latter could be a genuine wicket-taker necessary for Indian conditions. Here's what Ranatunga wrote in his column for The Indian Express.
"They are looking more at the all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, but I personally feel that they should have someone like R Ashwin in the squad, if not in the XI. When he plays, he can be a match-winner for you. He may be slightly older, he might be slightly slow on the field, but you need guys in the sub-continent who can contain and can take wickets."
With Axar set to miss at least the first couple of games in the series, Ravichandran Ashwin has a chance to prove his mettle and get a potential entry into the World Cup squad with the deadline for changes being September 28.