'There is no planning': Pathan lambasts BCCI over Ashwin's WC move, Kaif backs veteran

Team India will now focus on the ICC ODI World Cup and make sure that no team snags the trophy this season, as the tournament will be held in India. The hosts most recently took home the Asia Cup 2023, thrashing Sri Lanka in the championship match by a score of 10 wickets. When the ODI World Cup begins on October 5, 2023, Team India, which last won the competition in 2011, will try to break its own feat.

3 things you need to know 

• India won the Asia Cup 2023 after beating Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final
• India will now play Australia in warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup 
• R Ashwin replaces Axar Patel for warm-up matches due to injury 

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R Ashwin's return to the Indian squad causes debate!

Ravichandran Ashwin last played an ODI for India in January 2022, during the South Africa tour, which was his sole ODI appearance since 2017. This latest move has sparked debate within the Indian cricket community, particularly surrounding captain Rohit Sharma and BCCI head selector Ajit Agarkar's choice to reintegrate Ashwin into the ODI system, especially with the upcoming ODI World Cup.

Despite having not played an ODI in nearly 20 months, Ashwin has been named to the forthcoming three-match home series against Australia. Furthermore, there is talk that he could make the World Cup squad as well, depending on the rehabilitation status of his replacement, Axar Patel. While some onlookers were unsurprised by the choice because of the scarcity of spin-bowling all-rounders, others welcomed it. However, this decision baffled a sizable segment of the cricketing community, notably former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan in particular, is not happy with R Ashwin's inclusion. Meanwhile, Mohammad Kaif provided a straightforward assessment of the issue.

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Axar Patel's quadriceps injury during the Asia Cup event prompted Ashwin's return to the ODI squad. In response, India summoned up Ashwin and Washington Sundar, giving the team management an extra option for the World Cup if necessary.

What did Irfan Pathan say about R Ashwin?

In an interview with Star Sports on their YouTube channel Irfan Pathan questioned the logic behind bringing R Ashwin back into the ODI setup. While he accepted Ashwin's credentials and his ability in the sport, the former India all-rounder felt that Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid should have at least given a few matches before the Australia series 

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. So you are leaving it entirely to fate. There is no planning here. Had there been a plan for Ashwin, they would have given him some game time before the World Cup. Yes he will be playing against Australia, but is that enough? You have to bowl for 10 overs, and adjust in the team as well and give India that result. It isn't that easy. Planning should have been better.

Mohammad Kaif backs Ashwin's inclusion

On the other hand, Kaif admitted that Ashwin's appearance in this context is primarily because of Axar's injury. Nonetheless, he backed Ashwin over Sundar for the Australia series, noting Ashwin's strong record of wicket-taking across multiple formats in international cricket.

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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 that he will be back in a week's time 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!

Team India will play a 3-match ODI series against Australia which will start on 22nd October in Mohali followed by the next two games in Indore and Rajkot on 24th and 27th October respectively.