Former cricketer Saba Karim shared his thoughts on including veteran spinner R Ashwin in the Indian squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia. Ashwin was a surprise choice given that he last played an ODI back in January 2022.
Ashwin has been picked for the impending three-match home series against Australia and could likely make the squad for the World Cup as well if Akshar Patel, whom he replaced, is unable to recover in time for the tournament.
Saba Karim, a former BCCI chief selector, said that India captain Rohit Sharma is keen on an aggressive approach, especially with the upcoming World Cup in mind. Ashwin's presence in the squad is seen as a critical component of this strategy.
"I think Rohit Sharma looks at Ravichandran Ashwin as a match-winner and he’s very clear in the kind of approach he wants to portray in white ball cricket. He also knows that in his bowling lineup, he needs to have out of six, at least five wicket-taking options. If he has Ashwin in the eleven, then that attacking option is available," Karim said on JioCinema.
Karim further emphasized that the other reserve players share the same attacking mentality, supporting Sharma's goal of playing aggressively.
"If you look at all the other players who are in the reserve – they all have that attacking mindset. So, I think Rohit Sharma wants to continue with this aggressive approach that we saw the Indian team play in the Asian challenge,” he added.
Shreyas Iyer was also backed by the team management for Australia ODIs. Iyer had made his return to the Indian team in the Asia Cup 2023. However, he played just two games, before suffering a back spasm, ruling him out of the rest of the tournament.
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Rohit Sharma, during the presser to announce India squad for Australia ODIs, mentioned that Shreyas Iyer is 99% fit.
"I am glad that they are persisting with Shreyas Iyer. It really shows that the team management and selectors trust him so much. You need to back players who have done well for you in the past.
The kind of player Shreyas Iyer is – I am pretty excited for him to get back into the fold and score runs at the right time for the Indian side," Karim concluded, expressing his optimism about Iyer's potential to make crucial contributions to the Indian team, especially as the World Cup draws closer,” Karim stated.
The India vs. Australia ODI series which begins on September 22 will be the last bilateral assignment for both the teams before the World Cup 2023 begins on October 5.
(IANS inputs)
