2023 ODI World Cup | Right-arm off-spinner R. Ashwin brings experience, variety to team India

Before his dramatic recall against Australia in the bilateral series, R. Ashwin had 151 wickets in 113 ODIs. He has also played in two World Cups – in 2011, and 2015. (File)

Ravichandran Ashwin is an eternal optimist, but as recently as a month back, even he wouldn’t have realistically expected to be playing in the World Cup. Yet, here he is, days ahead of India’s opening fixture against Australia, suddenly looming as a crucial figure in the hosts’ scheme of things.

The 37-year-old’s One-Day International (ODI) career appeared done and dusted a long time back. While he did earn a recall to the T20 side ahead of the World Cup in Australia last October, he hadn’t represented the 50-over side since the tour of South Africa in January 2022. For all practical purposes, the principal decision-makers had culled him from their World Cup plans, until fate intervened to rejuvenate his ODI mojo.

An untimely, unfortunate quadriceps injury to Axar Patel provided the opening for Ashwin’s case to be presented all over again. Axar, the left-arm-spinning- all-rounder, had been picked as the third spinner, behind Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, as much for his bowling as his left-handed batting which, at No. 8, the brains’ trust felt, would be a massive asset. It was hard to argue with that logic, even if it meant India would be without a right-arm off-spinner in a tournament where left-handers abound at the top of the order.

When Washington Sundar was flown out to Colombo for the final of the Asia Cup in Colombo on September 17 – Axar injured himself in the clash against Bangladesh two nights previously – it was assumed that he would be the first-choice back-up. Apart from being a parsimonious off-spinner who can bowl in the Powerplay, Washington is an excellent batsman; he is also 14 years younger than his Tamil Nadu colleague and therefore is naturally swifter and more agile on the field.

In the first indication that Washington wasn’t a shoo-in if Axar didn’t recover, Rohit Sharma revealed after the Asia Cup final that he had been in constant touch with several players, including Ashwin. Confirmation came when both Washington and Ashwin were picked for the first two ODIs against Australia, and the senior man was named in the playing XI. In his first two 50-over games for the country in nearly 20 months, it was as if Ashwin had never been away, bowling with the same control, guile and magic of yore.

Ashwin is no stranger either to the 50-over format or the World Cup stage. Before his dramatic recall against Australia, he had 151 wickets in 113 ODIs. He has also played in two World Cups – as the support cast in 2011 when Harbhajan Singh was the No. 1 tweaker, and as the main act four years later in Australia and New Zealand. His variety, intelligence, street-smarts and the ability to be one step ahead of his opponents became invaluable assets for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli.

Everything changed after the 2017 Champions Trophy in England, where India were well beaten by Pakistan in the final. Ashwin’s figures in that 180-run mauling read 10-0-70-0; three matches later, he was put out to pasture, not earning a recall until four and a half years later. Kohli and the then head coach, Ravi Shastri, felt the need for penetrative spinners in the middle overs, hence the inclusion of wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, who constituted a formidable duo until the 2019 World Cup. Now, the wheel has come a full circle, Chahal nowhere in contention and Ashwin in with a shot at a second World Cup title.

Ashwin and Kohli are the only members of this 15-man squad who played in the title-clinching team of 2011. That experience is a huge plus; Ashwin may not play every match in deference to team balance, but he contributes so much off the park too.

On the field, Ashwin is always plotting, always seeking to out-think and outwit the batsman. There was a time when he was criticized for trying too many variations, for not trusting his stock ball enough. Ashwin, confident bordering on cocky, seldom paid heed to such criticism, no matter where it came from. But with time, his dependence on the off-break has grown, though he has never stopped his quest to add more tricks to his bag, to become more versatile and dangerous and unpredictable.

It's unlikely that India have picked Ashwin in a defensive role; if that was the case, they could have gone with Washington, more used to bowling defensive lines and a better all-round package. Rohit will expect Ashwin to bowl with wickets in mind and that will appeal to the competitor in Ashwin, because there is nothing he dislikes more than being asked to slip into run-denial mode.

Rohit holds Ashwin in high esteem, evident from his recent remarks on someone history will view with greater kindness than he has been accorded in his 13-year international journey. “You cannot take away the class and the experience that the individual has over the years. He’s got a lot of variation up his sleeve.”

There could be a fairytale return to World Cup cricket for Ashwin on October 8 at the ground where he evolved as a cricketer, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the city of his birth. India begin their quest for a third World Cup crown against Australia, and Ashwin’s familiarity with the venue and the opposition might tilt the scales in his favour. He may not be a power-striker in the mould of Axar at No. 8, but Ashwin has evolved into a reasonable range-hitter in the IPL. Five Test hundreds is an appropriate reflection of his batting prowess, though the requirements of lower-order white-ball batsmen are completely different from those of the longest format.

Ashwin’s big challenge will be to ensure that his thinking is in alignment with that of the think-tank’s and his captain’s. The advantage is that even though he hasn’t been a part of the limited-overs set-up for a long time now, he knows how Rohit operates and the skipper knows how to get the best out of his crack offie.

India have taken the longer, more scenic route to bring their most experienced active bowler back into the World Cup mix. It’s a call that’s been necessitated by factors beyond one’s control, but Axar’s crushing disappointment could yet translate into something special for Ashwin. And, by extension, for India.