Veteran Indian off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin still has hopes of making it to the Indian ODI squad in the 2019 World Cup.
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Ravichandran Ashwin is undoubtedly one of the best Indian spinners of contemporary times. He has had a huge impact on the Indian team especially in the longer format of the game. Ashwin has more than 300 wickets against his name in the Test format and is also on his way of becoming one of the highest wicket takers for India in Tests.
In a recent interview to the International Cricket Council (ICC), when asked about his ambitions of playing the 2019 World Cup, Ashwin said, “It entirely depends on what other people (team management and selectors) perceive of my cricket.
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“It’s definitely not in my control. Like any other cricketer, I want to wear the blue jersey and represent India at the World Cup. That’s obviously there deep within. At this stage of my career, physically and mentally, I am just focusing on enjoying my cricket. If I land an opportunity, I want to be in [a] good frame of mind to grab it with both hands.”
Despite being out of the team, Ashwin avidly follows India’s matches and believes that pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah hold the key for India’s success in the ODI series against England.
“England is a strong team in the shorter formats. They tweaked their strategy and team combination after the 2015 World Cup. The key for India in ODIs will be Bhuvneshwar [Kumar] and [Jasprit] Bumrah’s death overs. Hopefully, it will be a high-scoring series”, Ashwin concluded.
Ashwin started his limited overs career on a great note but lost his place to the wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. The two young guns are performing exceptionally and flummoxing team after team.
This has made it very difficult for Ashwin to bounce back in the limited overs side. However, the off spinner has not lost hope and is still trying to get into the Indian ODI side for the 2019 World Cup.