After remaining out of India’s ODI squad for more than a year, India’s spinning wizard Ravichandran Ashwin has got the national call-up for India’s ODI series against Australia. After a successful Asia Cup 2023 expedition, the Men in Blue are set to take on Australia in a three-match ODI series commencing on September 22.
According to the Indian captain Rohit Sharma, “guys like Ashwin, having the time on the ground has never been a concern, which is why we thought if he is an option for us, we should get him.”
Here are the three reasons the 37-year-old has been called into the ODI squad after a one-year gap:
Like-For-Like Replacement:
With Axar Patel’s injury concerns and Washington Sundar’s inclusion in the Asian Games 2023, R Ashwin emerges as the next best spin-bowling all-rounder for team India, alongside Ravindra Jadeja. Patel was a part of India’s squad in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2023 but was ruled out of the summit clash due to a hamstring injury.
While Tests have always been a forte of the world’s number 1 Test bowler, he has performed quite well in the 113 50-over matches that he has been a part of.
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Abundance of experience in home conditions
The Chennai-born brings a lot of experience to the table. As mentioned, Ashwin has donned the blue jersey for more than 100 ODI games, where he has a record of 151 wickets while averaging 33.49 with an economy rate of 4.94. Not only this, but he has also dominated Test matches at home with his bowling and batting, being one of India’s most successful bowlers.
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Big-match temperament
The 2011 World Cup champion has been a part of several big matches played on home soil. Apart from being a member of the World Cup winning team in 2011, Ash, as he is fondly called, was a part of the 2013 Champions Trophy winning squad as well. Apart from them, the cricketer played a crucial role in helping his Indian Premier League side Chennai Super Kings the champion title two times. He is very well aware of handling the pressure and has given his best whenever given chances in other formats than the Test.
