As India gears up to face Afghanistan in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, cricket pundit Sanjay Manjrekar has cast doubt on Ravichandran Ashwin’s inclusion in the playing XI if the pitch turns out to be flat and batting-friendly, like the one seen in a recent match between South Africa and Sri Lanka.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Manjrekar expressed reservations about Ashwin being chosen as the third spinner in such conditions, suggesting, “My view is that unless there is a compelling reason, I don’t like Hardik Pandya as your third seamer. I think he also feels the pressure if he is the third seamer.”

Manjrekar further elaborated, stating, “What is likely to happen is that if the pitch is similar to the one that we had in that South Africa-Sri Lanka game, which was a belter, there was nothing there for the spinners, I don’t see Ashwin playing on that surface.”

Mohammed Shami Or Shardul Thakur Likely To Replace Ravichandran Ashwin

In his assessment, Manjrekar predicted that either Shardul Thakur or Mohammed Shami would be considered to replace the off-spinner in the playing XI. He emphasized that India might prioritize bolstering their batting depth unless they anticipate the need for added pace against Afghanistan on a flat pitch.

“India will add more batting depth unless they feel that they will get in pace quality against Afghanistan on this flat pitch. But they have shown their cards very early coming into the World Cup. They are not very keen to go one batter short. Shardul Thakur or Mohammed Shami is the change that I see if that’s the exact same surface that we get in Delhi,” Manjrekar concluded.

India’s decision to include Ravichandran Ashwin in their World Cup squad came as a last-minute injury replacement for Axar Patel. Ravichandran Ashwin made his presence felt in India’s World Cup opener against Australia, delivering figures of 1-34 in 10 overs during India’s convincing six-wicket victory.

As the much-anticipated clash against Afghanistan approaches, the composition of India’s playing XI remains a topic of discussion and speculation, with the suitability of Ravichandran Ashwin on potentially batting-friendly pitches a subject of scrutiny. Shubman Gill is also a concern for the Indian team given that he is still not recovered and is also not travelling to Delhi with the team.

The final decision will likely depend on the pitch conditions and the team’s strategic assessment as they aim to navigate their World Cup campaign successfully. The forecast says, that Delhi will see a lot of ‘Run-Showers’ during the game with ‘Thunder-Fours’ and ‘Lightening-Sixes’.

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