World Cup 2023: How Ravichandran Ashwin's inclusion benefits hosts India in mega event

The Indian team management on Thursday decided to put a lid on the biggest talking point in cricketing circles in recent weeks by announcing a last-minute change to their squad for the ICC World Cup. The ICC had set Thursday, 28 September as the deadline for teams to make final changes to their 15-member squads for the showpiece event that kicks off from 5 October and runs for more than a month. As had been the case with the Indian cricket team in the build-up to the 2019 World Cup that took place in England, both experts and fans have had a fixation for a particular spot in the XI. It had been the No 4 position back in 2019, for which Ambati Rayudu appeared the prime contender for the most part before a certain ‘3D player’ in Vijay Shankar ended up taking his spot. This time around, it was the clamour surrounding Ravichandran Ashwin’s absence from India’s squad for the 2023 World Cup and the direct face-off between him and Axar Patel for a place in India’s spin department. On Thursday, the Men in Blue confirmed it was indeeded Ashwin who would be travelling with the remaining 14 members of the World Cup squad.

R Ashwin replaces injured Axar Patel in the 15-member squad.

We wish Axar a speedy recovery 👍 👍#TeamIndia's final squad for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is here 🙌#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/aejYhJJQrT

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 28, 2023

Axar, who had been named in the preliminary squad for the showpiece event, ended up getting ruled out after failing to recover from a quadriceps injury that he had picked up during the Super Four clash against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. The left-arm spinner, who is seen as a direct back-up to Ravindra Jadeja in the team, will head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru where he will undergo further rehabilitation. Read | How Ashwin, Sundar, Shreyas and SKY fared in IND-AUS ODIs Whether skipper Rohit, head coach Rahul Dravid and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee are justified in picking Ashwin in their final XV is something that time will eventually tell in due course. However, Ashwin’s presence on the field and in the dressing room do make a difference. We take a look at that in greater detail below: How Ashwin’s inclusion benefits India Among the key talking points after skipper Rohit and chief selector Agarkar had announced the initial squad for the World Cup on 5 September was the spin department and the fact that all three — Jadeja, Axar and Kuldeep Yadav — were left-arm spinners. Ashwin’s inclusion thus brings variety into the Indian attack, especially their spin department. His inclusion gives Rohit the option to bring in an experienced operator who can not only turn the ball away from the left-handers, but also keep the right-handers guessing with some of his more unconventional deliveries such as the carrom ball. A number of prominent left-handed batters will be in action in the ten-team World Cup; from Australia’s David Warner and England’s Ben Stokes to South Africa’s David Miller and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan and more. Having a tried-and-tested off-spinner in their ranks thus not only becomes a plus point but something of a necessity. But it’s not just his world-class skills that Ashwin will bring to the table in the upcoming World Cup. He is, after all, one of the sharpest cricketing brains of the current generation, and his game awareness is something that sets him apart from the rest.

It was always going to be Ashwin after those two games against Australia. Really feel for Axar Patel and hopefully, he will get the big stage another day. India have preferred to go in with more bowling skill than a more all-round package. If Hardik is bowling well, I see Ashwin…

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) September 28, 2023

Whether you take into account his highly-discussed run-outs at the non-striker’s end or the manner with which he left the ball alone before hitting the winning run in the T20 World Cup match against Pakistan in Melbourne last year. His batting skills aren’t quite explosive, but are reliable enough down the order, and do help extend India’s batting order to an extent. Read | Imran Tahir thanks R Ashwin after leading Guyana to CPL title As for his experience and his game awareness, Ashwin’s inputs certainly are expected to play an important role in team meetings and Rohit and coach Dravid’s plans. His presence in the locker room could also help some of the younger members of the squad, including left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav who is currently in the form of his life and is expected to be one of India’s primary weapons in the showpiece event. Last, but not least, Ashwin’s inclusion has given fans the joy of witnessing him pair up with Jadeja in coloured clothing perhaps for the final time in their storied career, even if their partnership extends for a while longer in the red-ball format. India updated World Cup squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.