Rohit Sharma Answers: Can Ashwin Replace Axar in the World Cup Squad?
On Tuesday, the captain of the Indian team, Rohit Sharma, did not divulge any details on the status of injured Axar Patel but said the rhythm Ravichandran Ashwin showed in the first two ODIs has assured him of backup options for the World Cup in case of an eventuality.
Patel had suffered a left quadriceps injury before the finals of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka earlier this month and is currently recuperating at the NCA. The performance of Ashwin in the first two ODIs against Australia has also sparked the debate over whether the veteran off-spinner should make it to India's 15-member squad if Patel fails to recover in time.
During the pre-match press conference, while talking about the chances of Ashwin replacing Axar Rohit, he said, “He has got the class. He has the experience of playing the sport and handling the pressure. It is just that he has not played ODIs in the last year or so.”
He also said, “But you cannot take away the class and the experience the individual has gained over the years, and in the last couple of games, we saw how well he bowled.”
Rohit expressed satisfaction over the effort of Ashwin and said it indeed gives them an option to fall back upon.
