Off-spinner R Ashwin featured in India's T20I playing XI for the first time after 2017.
Veteran spinner R Ashwin, who had returned to India's T20I team for the ongoing T20 World Cup, was included in the playing XI against Afghanistan at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (November 3). Ashwin last played a T20I match for India against West Indies at Kingston on July 09, 2017.
Opener Rohit Sharma, who put up an outstanding batting performance against Afghanistan, was questioned about his chat with Ashwin while they were in England and the off-spinner was not included in the playing XI there. Ashwin had missed out on all four Test matches against England.
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"Congratulations on the win. First of all, a word on Ravichandra Ashwin, he bowled a terrific spell. He was coming into the side after 2017, so what sort of conversation did you have with him when he was not playing on the England tour or now in the T20 World Cup?", the journalist asked Rohit during the press conference after India's 66 runs win over Afghanistan.
Responding to the question with a light-hearted joke, Rohit replied, "the conversation me and Ashwin had through the UK tour was where should we take our kids, which park we should take them. It was nothing about cricket, to be honest."
Ashwin picked up two wickets in the match as India restricted Afghanistan on 144/7 after scoring 210/2 batting first. The offie picked the wicket of Gulbadin Naib and Najibullah Zadran, while Mohammad Shami bagged three wickets.
Rohit lauded the veteran spinner, saying, "You saw his quality today. He's a quality bowler, without a doubt. He's played so much cricket now and taken so many wickets, obviously playing for India in limited overs. He also knows that it was a challenge for him because he was playing after three or four years. But he was playing IPL consistently and he was bowling really well. He's someone who's a wicket-taking option. Any time you give him the ball, he comes to take wickets,"
"He's not there to survive or just to bowl his six balls and get away. He's always looking to take wickets, and when you have someone like him in the sport and in the playing 11, it gives that advantage that you have someone in the middle who can take wickets. That's the quality of him. He understands his bowling really well and has balled really well in IPL. He's coming off from good form, as well, so I'm glad that he could contribute to our success today, and I hope he can do the same in the next few games that we play, as well," he added.
India now have two points in three matches, and they will have to win their remaining matches to have a chance for the semi-finals if the outcome of a few other matches turns in their favor.