Yuvraj Singh on Ashwin
Team India suffered a severe setback on Thursday as Indian fans awaited the announcement of the final lineup for the 2023 ODI World Cup. Axar Patel was disqualified from the competition. The veteran Ravichandran Ashwin was drafted by India to replace the spin-bowling all-rounder, who was forced to withdraw from the World Cup due to a quadriceps muscle strain. Given the events in the recently finished Australia series, the substitution was most likely, but the legendary Yuvraj Singh felt India blew it by not selecting Washington Sundar to replace Axar.
Yuvraj Singh on Ashwin
The following day, with India scheduled to play in the final, Washington Sundar was forced to fly to Colombo as Axar was hurt during the Super Four match of the Asia Cup versus Bangladesh. Sundar was chosen and eventually included in the XI for the final, despite the fact that he did not bat or bowl. According to reports, Ashwin was initially called up, but the bowler declined the opportunity since he wasn’t match-fit. Both were later included as Axar substitutes when the squad for the Australia series was chosen by the selectors since India wanted to consider both alternatives. However, the management’s strategy became quite clear when Ashwin was deployed in the first two games.
Ajit Agarkar, the head selection for the BCCI, predicted that Axar would recuperate in time to play for Australia in the final match. However, Axar was unable to do so and was later cut from the
World Cup squad. Sundar did participate in the series finale, but Ashwin traveled to Guwahati with the Indian team while Sundar joined the Asian Games team.
Yuvraj thought that India wasted the opportunity by not choosing Sundar instead of Ashwin, saying that it would have offered another left-handed option to the lineup. Yuvraj was speaking at a promotional event in Delhi organized by Vicks. Additionally, he believed Yuzvendra Chahal’s exclusion from the World Cup roster to be a complete catastrophe.
