Mohammad Kaif opines on Ravi Ashwin's potential wildcard entry for World Cup, 'if Axar hadn't been injured...'

Former India cricketer MohammadKaif has voiced his opinion on the inclusion of Ravichandran Ashwin for the upcoming ODI series against Australia as the spin master looks for a potential entry into the World Cup squad. Ashwin, on Tuesday, was selected in India’s squad for the upcoming three-match series against Australia as they look for a potential backup to Axar Patel. The left-arm bowling all-rounder was injured in the final Super Four contest of the Asia Cup against Bangladesh and consequently missed the summit clash against Sri Lanka.

Kaif opines on Ashwin

"If Axar hadn't been injured then we wouldn't have seen this move and Ashwin would have never been in the scene. Now Axar has suffered a strain injury and that takes time to recover from. No matter what they say he will be back in a week but such injuries take at least 2-3 weeks to recover from. That is why they went for the experience in Ashwin. And remember, there is no comparison between Ashwin and Sundar. He has 900 wickets (712) across formats,” Kaif saidin a conversation with Star Sports.

The Indian team will have to look for reinforcements after Axar was not available for the Asia Cup final while he also misses out on the Australia series. The Indian team management will have another week to decide the final World Cup squad before the deadline of September 27. Ashwin’s inclusion in the squad though has raised eyebrows, having not played ODI cricket for more than 18 months. He last played for India in January 2022 against South Africa.

Ashwin’s time frame

Ashwin has been an integral part of the Test side but has been hardly seen taking part in white-ball international cricket. However, like the 2022 T20 World Cup where he came in as a surprise, Ashwin will hope for the same in the ODI World Cup as well. He will have three matches to impress the Indian team management while competition from Washington Sundar could also affect his potential involvement in the World Cup squad.

The three-match ODI series will start on Friday, September 22 with a near fully-fit Australia squad ready to make a statement. The Aussies will be led by returning Pat Cummins while they will also have the services of Mitchell Starc and Steven Smith. Travis Head remains the only player from the World Cup squad not available due to injury.

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