India’s ODI World Cup Squad: Why is R Ashwin not playing ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023?

The announcement of India’s squad for the highly anticipated ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 sparked conversations throughout the cricketing world, primarily due to the absence of seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for Indian conditions. The fans and pundits wondered about the reasons behind this exclusion.

Why is R Ashwin not playing ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023?

Earlier, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma shed light on the decision-making process that led to Ashwin’s omission during Asia Cup 2023 selection. He had revealed that the selection committee engaged in extensive discussions regarding the inclusion of spin-bowling options, including Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar. However, the complexities of squad composition and the necessity to maintain a balanced combination ultimately influenced the final decision.

“Clearly there will be discussions given we have both Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel who spin the ball into left-handers. [But] both give us depth in batting. Kuldeep takes the ball away. In 50 overs cricket, perhaps you would ideally want an offspinner but this gives us the best balance. Seamers tend to bowl a lot more in ODIs as compared to T20 cricket, and perhaps you’re a little more under pressure if you don’t have an offie, so we’re happy with the guys we have,” said chief selector Ajit Agarkar.

One of the central dilemmas faced by the selectors revolved around the competition for spin-bowling slots. While Ravichandran Ashwin boasts exceptional skills and experience, the presence of other competent spinners, such as Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar, created a selection conundrum. Sharma emphasized that including Ashwin or Sundar would require dropping a seamer, a move the team couldn’t afford given the current balance.

At Asia Cup 2023 squad selection, Rohit has said

“We discussed Ashwin & Washington Sundar but again Chahal also had to miss out because we can only have 15. The only way we could’ve picked either of them was to drop a seamer which we can’t afford at the moment.Our options are still open. If we feel Chahal or Ashwin or Sundar are needed, then we will have to squeeze them in somehow.”

India’s ODI World Cup Squad

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.

R Ashwin Last 10 ODI Performance