Rajkot (Gujarat) [India]: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma hinted that the off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin could be a part of upcoming ODI World Cup.
Ashwin has been absent from the ODI scene for quite some time, other than his sporadic appearances in a couple of games in 2022 he has missed the majority of the 50-over format.
Rohit stressed that Ashwin’s lack of game-time should not undermine the off-spinner’s cricketing prowess, which he displayed in Indore in the second ODI against Australia.
The Indian skipper did not rule out a last-minute change in India’s World Cup squad with the veteran off-spinner continuing to make a strong case before the deadline on September 28.
“You cannot take away the class and the experience that the individual has over the years and in the last couple of games we saw how well he bowled.
He’s got a lot of variation up his sleeves and in case there is a chance, we can look at a lot of things. So hopefully, the way things are at this point in time, it does well for us because we’ve got all the backups and everything ready as well,” Rohit said in the pre-match conference.
“We’ve given them enough game time, a lot of time in the middle as well. So pretty much happy with how things have planned out in the last couple of weeks,” Rohit added.
With Axar Patel continuing to nurse an injury, that will see him miss the third ODI against Australia as well, and the deadline closing in, Ashwin stands a chance to edge his way into the final squad.
“We have got only 13 players to choose from, so and there is a bit of viral [sickness] going around in the team as well, so there is a lot of uncertainty in the team at this point, which we cannot help,” Rohit said.
“The next few weeks, it’s quite important for us to look after the players and their well-being, so it’s okay for them to be home at this point in time, but the reason being obviously we want everybody to be fresh during the World Cup and hopefully they can come back fresh,” Rohit added.
