[ad_1]
There was, yet again, little conversation around Ashwin when the teams were being chosen, despite him being someone who still has the fire and the wherewithal to perform with distinction in every format. The selectors have named the T20 squad keeping in mind next year’s T20 World Cup and no one can argue with that. But Ashwin doesn’t get a place even in the ODI team after having been part of the 2023 ODI World Cup group.
Of course, he played just one game in the mega event, the first one against Australia. But with regulars like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja missing from the ODI squad for South Africa, Ashwin could have lent experience, quality and variety to the bowling lineup on a difficult tour.
One should not forget that Ashwin has the second most white-ball wickets (228) among current Indian spinners. His ODI numbers are impressive, especially his economy rate of 4.93 over 116 games. The argument that he is 37 is valid only to an extent as he offsets it with his commitment on the field, his ever-evolving skills as a bowler, his utility as a good late-order batter and his cricketing nous, which comes in handy to the team tactics-wise.
While the selectors have chosen a good mix of spinners for the ODI squad, it remains to be seen how much success they will get on the mostly unhelpful South African pitches. On the other hand, because of his bag of tricks, experience and the ability to think on the go, Ashwin has a good chance of succeeding on even unsupportive pitches.
Ashwin has more than once been on the wrong end of the stick in matters of selection, with marginal decisions going against him. This is not to say that the team management or the selectors did not have the best interests of the team in mind. But Ashwin has ended up being the fall guy more than once.
Ashwin does not have too many years left in international cricket. One hopes he does not go out with a sense of having been let down by those who were supposed to look after him.
[ad_2]
Source link