'He can be a match-winner,' ex-SL skipper Arjuna Ranatunga backs Ravi Ashwin to be in India's World Cup squad
I don't think about selection: Ashwin on not being in India's plan for CWC
India have given a call-up to veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the ODI squad for the upcoming Australia ODI series ahead of the ODI World Cup. The call comes as Axar Patel, India's third spinner apart from Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja in the World Cup squad, suffered an injury. Patel got injured in the final Super Four game against Bangladesh in the recently-concluded Asia Cup.
Speaking on India's squad, Sri Lanka's World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, in a conversation with the Indian Express, said that not having a strong group of spinners would be a disadvantage for India in the upcoming quadrennial event.
Also Read:India skipper Rohit Sharma opens up 'resting' Kuldeep Yadav for first ODIs of Australia series
"I don't know whether India has two proper spinners. They have good all-rounders, who happen to be spinners but I can't see a proper spinner in this side. On Indian pitches, they need a strong group of spinners. If not, it would be a disadvantage for India," Ranatunga said.
"Of course, there is Kuldeep Yadav, he can be a match-winner as he showed against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup. He is pretty clever from what I see, especially when it comes to using the variations. But you need one more to support him who could contain and attack because teams will try to target him and unsettle. Especially when you play against England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, sometimes you might have to play 3 spinners without affecting the balance of the team. And India doesn’t have a batsman who can bowl. Jadeja who bowls, bats at No 7," he added.
Ranatunga also backs Ashwin's inclusion in the squad as he could be a match-winner whenever he plays for India.
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"You take Pakistan and England, they have proper spinners. So that is something I’m sure India will address before the World Cup. They are looking more at the all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, but I personally feel that they should have someone like R Ashwin in the squad, if not in the XI. When he plays, he can be a match-winner for you," said the former Sri Lanka captain.
After the three-match ODI series against Australia which starts September 22, India will play two warm-up games ahead of the ODI World Cup, which begins on October 5 next month.
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