Renowned Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar has expressed that spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is eager to get a chance to play in India’s upcoming match against Bangladesh. The Indian cricket team is scheduled to face Bangladesh in their fourth ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 encounter at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Thursday, October 19.
In an exclusive interview with India Today, Gavaskar mentioned the potential scenario of Ravichandran Ashwin replacing Shardul Thakur in the match against Bangladesh. Ashwin has participated in just one game during the 2023 World Cup, during which he took the crucial wicket of Cameron Green where India beat Australia by six wickets in Chennai.
“There could be a possibility of that happening (Ashwin playing against Bangladesh). If Shardul Thakur gets a breather, Ashwin could come in, keeping in mind the left-handers in the Bangladesh team,” said Gavaskar.
Gavaskar further emphasized that Ashwin is a highly skilled bowler who is enthusiastic to play in the ODI World Cup. Ashwin has an impressive record of 156 wickets in 116 ODI matches for India. He was included in the 15-member World Cup squad as a replacement for the injured spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel.
“With Ashwin, it’s not just that he bowls only to left-handers, he is a top bowler, he bowls well to right-handers as well. He is a great bowler. He can operate on pitches that don’t generally assist the spinners. I think he is raring to be given an opportunity,” Gavaskar added.
‘If You Want To Win The World Cup, Then You Have To Beat…’, Gautam Gambhir Comes With An Interesting Analysis
“The way the Indian team has been playing, the way the Indian team has been showing resilience. More than anything else, I think the initiative and the fearlessness that the Indian team has been showing. That’s been so good to see. That is something that Bangladesh will have to counter,” said Gavaskar.
