Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has defended Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid for trying out new players in the West Indies tour, as the Indian think-tank management tactics came under the scanner following India’s six-wicket loss to the Men in Maroon in the 2nd ODI.
The Men in Blue’s plans and strategies came under the scanner following their six-wicket loss to the Windies. Team India has been blown hot and cold in all three formats failing to produce an impactful performance in the ICC events as their last trophy came in the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Speaking on his Youtube Channel, Ravichandran Ashwin feels that the outburst on India’s loss in the 2nd ODI against West Indies is not without a valid reason as they tried to different set of players for the ODI series to get players ready for the marquee event later this year and reckons that the team’s only job is not to win the International cricket.
“India lost the second ODI, and immediately the trend in social media was – why so-and-so players played and why so-and-so players did not play. I seriously don’t understand why this outrage. Rohit and Virat didn’t play in the second ODI. Even in the first match, Rohit batted lower down the order. So the debate was around whether Rohit and Virat should have played,” he said.
“Some of them were perplexed at how we lost to a team that didn’t even qualify for the World Cup. Many people think that India’s only job in international cricket is to win World Cup. The main reason why we consider ourselves favorites to win the World Cup is because of the IPL,” Ravichandran Ashwin said.
Virat Kohli was rested alongside Indian skipper Rohit Sharma for the second ODI against West Indies, as the Indian team management is trying to find potential players, who can make it into the India squad for the ODI World Cup later this year, as they are trying out new things against the Men in Maroon in three-match ODI series.
We Need A Left-hander Since Rohit Sharma And Shubman Gill Will Be Opening The Batting – Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin feels that it was the right decision for Indian team management to try Axar Patel at the No.4 spot in the ODI team as he can offer a left-right combination in the middle order as Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma will be opening the batting at the top of the order which can help India play an extra bowler in the team in the form of Shardul Thakur.
“Some of them asked why Axar Patel batted at No. 4. Where else will he bat? Shreyas Iyer will walk into the No. 4 spot when fit. We need a left-hander since Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will be opening the batting. If we play on slightly spinning wickets and if Axar bats a No. 4, we can extend our batting and play an extra bowler like Shardul,” Ravichandran Ashwin added.
India won their last ICC title in 2013. Since then, India has advanced to the ODI World Cup semifinals in 2015, the T20 World Cup final in 2016, the ODI World Cup final in 2019, and the 2021 and 2023 WTC Final but could not go one step further in the big tournaments as the team fell short of the title, despite doing well in the league stages of the tournament.