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'He Will Be Deadly...,' Former Selector Backs R Ashwin For World Cup 2023 Spot

Aakash Saini

image-lms0g8haRavichandran Ashwin will play ODI series against AUS (Twitter)

Ravichandran Ashwin made a surprise return to the Indian team for their upcoming home series against Australia. The ace spinner, who played the last of his 113 ODIs nearly two years ago in Paarl, might well force his entry into India’s World Cup 2023 squad, according to former Indian selector MSK Prasad.

Ashwin also made his way into India’s squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia last year, despite being away from the format’s international set-up for a considerable period prior to the tournament.

MSK Prasad believes Ashwin will be deadly in WC 2023

Former BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad welcomed the committee’s decision of including R Ashwin into the Indian team in their final set of fixtures prior to the 2023 World Cup at home. A former cricketer himself, Prasad believes the legendary spinner might well use this opportunity to force his way back into the Indian squad for the forthcoming tournament.

The ex-selector also claimed that Ashwin will be a deadly spin option for India against left-handed opposition batters, especially while bowling on spinning Indian tracks. Speaking on a Star Sports show, he said:

“Ravichandran Ashwin will be a handy option for the Indian team that too in home conditions. He has close to 500 wickets in all three formats combined in Indian conditions. In all teams these days, there are at least 3-4 left-handers, so against left-handers he will be deadly. I hope he can do well against Australia and get selected in the World Cup squad as well.”

If injured Axar Patel fails to recover on time for the World Cup 2023, R Ashwin himself might be considered among India’s 15-player line-up.

Last month, captain Rohit Sharma had stated that the doors were still open for the likes of team discards Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal despite their World Cup snubs.

The star all-rounder will now face Australia under KL Rahul’s leadership in the first two ODIs of their three-match series on September 22 and 24. He will be re-joined by senior pros Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma for the third match to conclude their pre-World Cup 2023 preparations.