Ashwin last played an ODI in 2017 against West Indies in the Caribbean.
Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has shared his views on the never-ending R Ashwin vs Yuzvendra Chahal debate after the recent three-match T20I series against New Zealand at home.
Ever since Ashwin made a comeback in India’s T20I side, Chahal has been in and out of the playing XI and wasn't even picked for the T20 World Cup 2021.
In the recent T20I series, Ashwin played in the first two T20Is and gave impressive performances, whereas Chahal played only in the final T20I against New Zealand in Kolkata.
Reacting to the Ashwin-Chahal debate, Chopra said that India shifted focus from the off-spinner to the leg-spinner in the white-ball formats because they were looking to take more wickets than controlling the flow of runs since the spinners were more crucial for bagging wickets in the middle overs.
Chopra said on his YouTube channel: “If we do not pick up wickets with the new ball, it is very important to take wickets in the middle overs. That is why we shifted our focus towards wrist spin. So if finger spinners can take wickets when batters are not going after them, they India can go for it. Ashwin has always been a quality bowler. The quality hasn’t gone anywhere, only our thinking had changed.”
Speaking about Ashwin’s chances of ODI comeback after making a return to T20Is after 4 years, the commentator feels Chahal should be India’s number one spinner.
Chopra concluded, “If India is looking for that kind of a bowler, and not someone who searches for wickets, then he can make a comeback. If we look at wrist-spinners, India has sidelined Kuldeep Yadav, so they have only Chahal and Rahul Chahar now. Varun Chakravarthy should also be in consideration. Sidelining him after playing him in a couple of T20 World Cup 2021 matches is not a good story.”