Kolkata (West Bengal): The Indian cricket aficionados heaved a sigh of relief on Thursday when 37-year-old seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was drafted in the 15-member Indian ICC World Cup 2023 squad at the expense of injured left-arm spinner Axar Patel.
The initial squad for the World Cup which was announced on September 5 had Axar Patel as the second spinner after spinning all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the mix. But things started looking hazy as Axar Patel sustained an injury that would take at least four to five weeks to recover.
"Then there was no choice as one would have to fall back on (Ravichandran) Ashwin, who is a big stage player equipped with vast experience of playing the top sides," a top BCCI source told ETV Bharat on the condition of anonymity on Friday.
It is understood that Ashwin was in the frame since the business end of the recently held Asia Cup in Sri Lanka prior to the three-match ODI home series against Australia.
"Ashwin was called by India skipper Rohit Sharma to know his availability for the national team, but Ashwin asked for a few days to get match-fit. Then the entire process to include the 37-year-old in the final 15 began and so were hectic backroom calculations. The squad now looks complete with one off-spinner and a left-arm spinner besides the four pacers," the source pointed out.
If the source is to be believed, Axar Patel, who sustained a left quadriceps strain, got the better of Ashwin, basically on age and his ability to hit the ball from the word go. "The selectors must have thought about Axar's ability to hit the ball soon after arriving at the crease and of course the fielding that must have put the Gujarat spinner ahead of Ashwin," the source added.
After the Asia Cup, Ashwin was seen training Bengaluru-based National Cricket Academy. India will start their World Cup campaign against the five-time world champions (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015) Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
