"Rohit has shown trust in me..": Ravi Ashwin opens up on inclusion in India's ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 squad

Ravi Ashwin will be playing in his 3rd ICC Cricket World Cup tournament in the 2023 edition.

With just two games in the last 18 months, Ravi Ashwin has scripted his comeback in the Indian team for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Off-spinner Ashwin has replaced injured Axar Patel and joined the Indian 15-member squad for the marquee event in India. Axar Patel got injured while playing against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 round. Patel was expected to be fit for the warm-up round but he failed to meet the deadline. 

Ravi Ashwin made an impactful performance against Australia in the two ODIs that he played in Mohali and Indore. In the Indore ODI, Ashwin picked up 3 wickets in just a span of 7 balls dismissing the entire Australian top-order batting. Ashwin’s comeback in the Australian series was an automatic statement that selectors are looking at him as a possible replacement for an injury in the originally announced World Cup squad. 

Ravi Ashwin on his World Cup inclusion

Before India’s warm-up fixture against England, Ashwin revealed that he was not even considering making it into the World Cup squad 4-5 months back. Ashwin said, “I would have said that you are joking  (If asked about his World Cup chances a few months back). Life is all about surprises, but the captain Rohit Sharma and team management has shown trust in me and backed me to be in the World Cup squad.” 

Ravi Ashwin had an 18-month gap between his two ODI games when he played against Australia in Mohali. Ashwin was discarded from the Indian ODI team after his poor performance against South Africa in January 2022. After that, he made his comeback just a few days before the World Cup in Mohali against Australia. Along with Ashwin, all-rounder, Washington Sundar was also in contention as a replacement but Ashwin’s experience was preferred over Sundar. 

Ashwin was also part of India's winning campaign in the 2011 World Cup. He played two games in that tournament and picked up 4 wickets. Ashwin’s performance against Australia in the quarter-final in Ahmedabad earned him huge popularity and testified to his talent at the biggest level. Ashwin then went on to become a match-winning figure for India in red-ball cricket but failed to remain consistent in the white-ball format.