Former India cricketer turned famous commentator Aakash Chopra has claimed that Team India should have included Ravichandran Ashwin in the first two games if the logic behind his selection in the T20 World Cup squad was to use his experience as well. He also questioned the team India management’s decision to leave him out of the team despite being included for white-ball cricket after a long time as well.
Notably, Ravichandran Ashwin has not played any limited-overs game for India for the last 4 years. And, his selection in the T20 World Cup squad came as a shocker for everyone. But the team preferred Varun Chakravarthy in both games but he went wicketless.
While talking about this on his YouTube channel, Chopra said that Ravichandran Ashwin should be in the XI.
“Ravichandran Ashwin should definitely have been picked in the XI. He was selected in the squad in the first place because of his experience. What is the point of having experience on the bench? Even if the team had picked a 15-year-old and had kept him on the bench, it really wouldn’t have mattered. Experience can be utilized only if the player is part of the team and the playing XI. If you wanted R Ashwin’s experience so desperately, for sure you should have played him in the XI. There was no point in selecting him otherwise,” Aakash Chopra stated.
“It’s a matter of investigation” – Dilip Vengsarkar on Ravichandran Ashwin’s exclusion
Meanwhile, former Indian player Dilip Vengsarkar has also questioned why Ravichandran Ashwin is out of the playing XI for the first two games of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021. It is also noteworthy that, the veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was in good touch in the warm-up games where he picked up 2/8 in the second practice match against Australia also.
While speaking to PTI, Vengsarkar stated:
“Why is Ashwin being so dropped for so long? It is a matter of investigation. Across formats he is your best spinner with more than 600 international wickets. He is your senior most spinner and you don’t pick him. I fail to understand. He didn’t play a single game in the England Test series also. Why do you pick him then? It is a mystery to me.”
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