Ravichandran Ashwin ruled out of Deodhar Trophy due to 'niggling issue'; Ankit Bawne made India A captain instead

New Delhi: Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been ruled out of the upcoming Deodhar Trophy to be held in Dharamsala from 4-8 March.

"Ashwin has a niggling issue and the BCCI Medical Team has advised him a weeks rest," acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary was quoted as saying in a BCCI press release.

However it was not specified what exactly is the niggle.

Ravichandran Ashwin had been appointed India A captain, before the 'niggling issue' forced him to rest instead. Reuters

The Deodhar Trophy was a chance for Ashwin to showcase his 50-over bowling skills and convince the selectors, whose preferred choices in the shorter format are Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, to give him another shot at limited-overs cricket.

The motivation level for a senior player to play a particular format diminishes if he knows that his chances of immediate comeback are next to nil.

The selection committee decided to include Shahbaz Nadeem as the replacement.

The selectors have named Ankit Bawne as captain of the India A team and suggested that Akshdeep Nath will move to India B squad to facilitate the change.