IND vs AUS: Irfan Pathan questions THIS star player's involvement before WC, 'you get a better spinner...'

Former India speedster Irfan Pathan has questioned the involvement of 2011 World Cup winner and star man Ravichandran Ashwin in the upcoming ODI series against Australia. The Indian team announced on Tuesday, September 20 saw the return of the veteran player before the ODI World Cup next month. His return though has now sparked debate, with India already riding high on the services of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel while Yuzvendra Chahal was dropped for the marquee tournament.

Irfan questions Ashwin’s involvement

"You get a better spinner than Ashwin in the entire world. But in a tournament as big as the World Cup, where there is immense pressure, you can't expect a senior player to walk in and play for the team in a format which he hasn't played for a long time and prove his worth,” Irfan said while speaking to Star Sports.

“So you are leaving it entirely to fate. There is no planning here. Had there been a plan for Ashwin, they should have given him some game time before the World Cup,” Irfan added.

The Indian team management opted to rest Kuldeep for the first two matches of the ODI series against Australia along with regular captain Rohit Sharma and senior players, such as Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya. The backlash is the result of Ravichandran Ashwin being out of action in ODI cricket for the last 18 months. His last game for the nation in the ODI format came in January 2022 against South Africa and has since been out of the ODI team while only participating in the Test format.

According to Irfan, lack of playing time could be a big factor during the World Cup while India also have better options. It is worth notingthat India dropped Yuzvendra Chahal for the World Cup and opted for Axar Patel and Kuldeep.

IND vs AUS starts on Friday

India will start the start three-match ODI series against Australia on Friday, September 22 as they will take on a strong side led by returning skipper Pat Cummins. The match will take place at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. Big names like Virat and Rohit will return to the squad for the final ODI in Rajkot next Wednesday.

India’s squad for first two ODIs

KL Rahul (captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, R Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, J Bumrah, M Siraj, M Shami, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna, R Ashwin, Washington Sundar

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