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After plenty of speculation, India have officially drafted Ravichandran Ashwin into their 2023 World Cup squad at the expense of the injured Axar Patel. The development was confirmed on Thursday, September 28, which was the deadline for teams to make changes to their provisional squads.
The veteran off-spinning all-rounder earned a recall to the ODI setup for the three-match series against Australia and made a good impression with four wickets from two games. He was rested for the final game in Rajkot, with Washington Sundar given an opportunity instead.
With Axar struggling to recover from a left quadriceps strain sustained at the Asia Cup, the change was made ahead of India's first warmup fixture against England in Guwahati on Saturday, September 30. Ashwin is already with the team and traveled to the city on Thursday.
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Fans, however, were left split on the back of this announcement. While some felt that it was a step in the wrong direction, others were elated upon hearing the news of the veteran offie breaking into India's 2023 World Cup squad.
Here's a look into the mixed reactions on X (formerly Twitter):
Ravichandran Ashwin to appear in his third ODI World Cup
The 2023 World Cup will mark Ashwin's third appearance at the showpiece event, having previously played the 2011 and 2015 editions. He joins Virat Kohli as the only other member in the current Indian setup to have participated in the co-hosted World Cup of 2011.
Ashwin is the only off-spinner in India's squad and is the third specialist spinner apart from Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. The rest of India's roster for the 2023 World Cup remains the same as the one announced by chief selector Ajit Agarkar on September 5.
India are scheduled to draw the curtains open on their World Cup campaign with a marquee clash against Australia in Chennai on October 8.
The Rohit Sharma-led outfit is eyeing a third ODI World Cup crown after India fell short in the semi-finals of the 2019 edition in England. The Men in Blue will enter the marquee event on the back of triumphs at the Asia Cup as well as an ODI series win against Australia.
Should Ravichandran Ashwin start in India's first-choice XI for the 2023 World Cup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
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