The return of veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to white-ball cricket was a moment of anticipation for fans and pundits alike. However, recent revelations have shed light on a pivotal juncture in his comeback journey. Former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has disclosed that Ashwin was the frontrunner to replace the injured Axar Patel in the Asia Cup Final. Yet, Ashwin chose to decline the opportunity, allowing Washington Sundar to step in and play the crucial match against Sri Lanka. This decision has raised questions about Ashwin\u2019s readiness and commitment to the team\u2019s cause.<\/p>\n
The Asia Cup Super 4s clash between India and Bangladesh saw spinner Axar Patel succumb to an injury, creating a void in India\u2019s spinning department just ahead of the final against Sri Lanka. Ravi Ashwin naturally emerged as the top choice to fill this crucial role, given his experience and prowess in the format. However, his return to international cricket was not straightforward.<\/p>\n
Dinesh Karthik\u2019s revelation has brought to light the fact that Ashwin was initially the preferred candidate to replace Axar Patel. However, Ashwin opted against the call-up due to concerns about his match fitness. He believed that stepping onto the field without being 100% prepared would not serve the team\u2019s best interests. As a result, Ashwin decided to sit out the Asia Cup Final, showing his commitment to performing at his best.<\/p>\n
In Ashwin\u2019s absence, Washington Sundar, who was actively participating in local tournaments in Chennai and training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), was selected to play in the final against Sri Lanka. Sundar\u2019s readiness and match fitness made him the suitable replacement for Axar Patel.<\/p>\n
Dinesh Karthik provided insights into the decision-making process, emphasizing that Ashwin\u2019s initial refusal was based on his desire to be in optimal playing condition. Karthik explained that Ashwin had played a couple of local club matches and then received the call-up for the national team.<\/p>\n
Upon his return to the Indian Cricket Team, Ashwin expressed his gratitude for the opportunity. He stated that his focus was not solely on personal achievements but on giving himself the best chance to enjoy his time on the field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The return of veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to white-ball cricket was a moment of anticipation for fans and pundits alike\u2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":30088,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[556,1585,585],"class_list":["post-7181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cricket","tag-ashwin","tag-asia-cup","tag-dinesh-karthik"],"reading_time":"2 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}