Four months ago, the Indian cricket fraternity wouldn’t have ever imagined that Ravi Ashwin would be drafted into the ODI World Cup squad and even Ravi Ashwin wouldn’t have believed it if someone had said that the off-spinner would be brought back into the ODI mix.
However, surprisingly, Rohit Sharma and the Indian cricket team management backed Ravi Ashwin this time around. The cricket fraternity is well aware of the fact that Ravichandran Ashwin made it to the squad after Axar Patel sustained an untimely injury.
Ravi Ashwin who was out of the ODI cricketing action for quite a long time featured in a three-match ODI series against Australia in which he accounted for four dismissals. Meanwhile, the former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh backed Ravi Ashwin’s inclusion in India’s ODI World Cup squad.
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The Turbanator explains why he would choose Ravi Ashwin over Kuldeep Yadav
The former off-spinner explained why he would pick Ravichandran Ashwin over Kuldeep Yadav in India’s playing XI for the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023. While speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Harbhajan Singh added that if the team wants a proven bowler, then he would pick Ravi Ashwin over Kuldeep Yadav.
However, Kuldeep Yadav played an instrumental role in the team’s success by taking 33 wickets, the most by an Indian. Furthermore, he echoed that he would pick Ravi Ashwin because he has the potential to bat. Having played 115 ODIs so far, he aggregated 707 runs including 1 fifty. On the other hand, he has taken as many as 155 wickets at a pretty decent bowling average of 4.94.
“If you want a proven bowler, I would go with R Ashwin alongside Ravindra Jadeja. Yes, because Ashwin can bat as well. That’s where you have to back your guy who has done it. If he doesn’t, then you can have a guy who can come in and perform like Kuldeep,” added Harbhajan Singh.
