Cricket World Cup 2023: Ashwin dilemma a possible headache for Men in Blue

The coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma have sweet pain in deciding the playing XI for the upcoming matches of the World Cup after the economical spell of Ravichandran Ashwin against Australia on Sunday. It will be interesting to know, Will team management go with three spinners or bring in one fast bowler in place of a spinner. - Writes Sanjib Guha.

Kolkata: After having won the match against Australia in style, India would take on Afghanistan at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium. But that's not the point. The point is coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma would have a peculiar problem of picking the playing XI hereon.

Having played three spinners at Chepauk on Sunday, all three have fared well to restrict the Australian below 200. In fact, the 22-yard on offer at the MA Chidambaram Stadium was a difficult wicket to bat on for even the greats. The strike rates of Virat Kohli (73.28) and KL Rahul (84.35) are a testimony to that.

It could be a topic of discussion for another day on Australia's ploy for the ICC World Cup 2023. Australia travelling to the nook and corner of the subcontinent with only one specialist spinner (Adam Zampa) in the tour party is bound to put them in a quandary in the near future.

Back to the Men in Blue, it will just be a sweet pain for them to decide on the final XI in the upcoming matches. With all spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin (1-34 in 10 overs) and Kuldeep Yadav (2-42) and spinning all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (3-28) putting up their best shows, the team think tank would face roadblocks while selecting the XI for the matches ahead which is expected to be played on either sporting wickets or on belters.

Even at Kotla, It won't matter much if India goes in with all three of them keeping the side unchanged. It would mostly depend on the batters in Delhi to put up a huge total like South Africa did against Sri Lanka the other day. The decision would be a tough one considering the situation in Ahmedabad against Pakistan and thereafter.

As a matter of fact, the twists in the tale may eventually see veteran Ravichandran Ashwin sitting on the bench in the future for India in the ICC World Cup 2023. There are two cricketing reasons for the 37-year-old offie's possible exclusion from the XI.

First, the Indians are unlikely to get a slow and low turner like the Chepauk wicket in any other ground across the country. And so, it may not be possible for the Men in Blue to field three spinners in the XI in the upcoming matches.

Secondly, even if two spinners are accommodated in the XI, Ravindra Jadeja would choose himself thanks to his batting prowess that suits the format. Kuldeep Yadav's unorthodox spin along with his uncanny knack for running through the opposition batting ranks is a plus that the team would be in dire need of as the tournament progresses. Also, Kuldeep's abilities can hardly be read by the opposition batters.

However, the owner of 489 Test scalps and 156 ODI wickets would still be someone who the opposition will respect given a look in the rest of the tournament.