Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has given a straight-forward verdict on Ravichandran Ashwin’s place in the white-ball set-up. The latter has had a roller-coaster journey since losing his spot to the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. He made a surprise return in the T20 World Cup 2021 and then managed to retain his spot in the next edition of the tournament, which was held in Australia. But still, his appearance in the blues has been sporadic. He last featured in India’s World Cup 2023 squad after receiving a last-minute call as a replacement for all-rounder Axar Patel.
The Indian team management has made clear that it would accommodate more bowlers who can bat. And Ashwin, despite scoring five Test centuries, doesn’t deem fit in either ODIs or T20Is, suggests Yuvraj.
Speaking with the Times of India, the 2-time World Cup winner questioned Ashwin’s place, highlighting his contribution with the bat and fielding.
“Ashwin is a great bowler but I don’t think he deserves a place in ODIs and T20s. He is very good with the ball, but what does he bring with the bat? Or as a fielder? In the Test team, yes, he should be there. But in white-ball cricket, I don’t think he deserves a place,” Yuvraj said.
Ashwin was in the squad that won the World Cup back in 2011 at home. He also won the ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales in 2013 while also winning the Asia Cup in 2010 and 2016. The 37-year-old has scalped 490 wickets in Test cricket while scoring 3193 runs. In white-ball cricket, the spinning great has taken 228 scalps and put up 891 runs.
Despite his World Cup inclusion, Ashwin was relatively underused in the competition. He featured in just one game when the Men in Blue faced Australia in their tournament opener in Chennai. That match saw Ashwin picking up a single wicket while giving away 34 runs.
Ashwin’s absence from the majority of fixtures occurred mainly due to some amazing bowling performances from Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah. India produced a dominant run to the final in that tournament before losing the trophy to Australia in the final.
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