Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed his chosen squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup, offering a few surprising choices but excluding teenage batting phenom Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson.
Speaking to Cricinfo, Ashwin backed a nucleus of seasoned players to lead India’s campaign in the prestigious championship. He kept veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, but also included Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Ishan Kishan in his batting lineup.
Ashwin also voiced trust in Gill remaining as India’s captain, with the teenager anticipated to lead the team to the next ODI World Cup.
The former spinner chose Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel as all-rounders, with Kuldeep Yadav as his favourite frontline spinner. His speed assault included Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Harshit Rana.
Interestingly, Ashwin put several players in the’maybe’ category, saying he was unsure about their chances of make the final squad. The roster featured Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Prasidh Krishna.
Ashwin supports Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return.
One of the most heated parts of Ashwin’s conversation was his support for Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s comeback to India’s ODI squad, despite the experienced bowler being absent from the format since 2022.
Ashwin believed India’s thought tank should interact with Bhuvneshwar and prepare him for the difficulties of the 2027 World Cup by ensuring he plays enough cricket in all forms before the squad reaches South Africa.
The right-arm pacer played a crucial role in Royal Challengers. Bengaluru won back-to-back IPL titles, taking 45 wickets in 30 matches over the last two seasons for an average of 21.87 and an economy rate of 8.56.
Overall, Bhuvneshwar has played 121 ODIs for India, taking 141 wickets at an average of 35.11. His best stats in the format remain 5/42, while his 5.08 economy rate demonstrates his ability with the new ball.
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