As anticipated, the experienced off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who had only participated in two ODIs since 2017 before his selection for the ODI series against Australia, has been called up to replace Axar Patel in the Indian squad for the ODI World Cup. This decision comes as Axar Patel was unable to regain full fitness in time.
The signs were evident when Axar failed to recover in time for the third ODI against Australia in Rajkot. Ashwin showcased his skills impressively in the first two ODIs against Australia but was rested for the final match in Rajkot.
Ashwin secured 1 wicket in the first ODI in Mohali on Friday and followed it up with 3 wickets in the second match against Australia in Indore on Sunday.
According to an official ICC statement, “Axar Patel has not recuperated sufficiently for the World Cup after sustaining a left quadriceps strain during India’s Asia Cup Super Four encounter against Bangladesh. The spin-bowling all-rounder missed the Asia Cup final as a result.” The statement further added, “Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been named as his replacement, and he made an impressive return to ODI cricket in the recently concluded series against Australia, where he claimed four wickets in two games.”
Axar Patel sustained the injury during India’s Asia Cup Super Four loss to Bangladesh, contributing with a wicket and 42 runs.
Ashwin has joined the Indian team in Guwahati, where they will play their first warm-up match against England on Saturday, September 30. The two-time champions and hosts, India, are set to kickstart their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.
Revised India squad for the World Cup: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya, 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.