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Ravichandran Ashwin continued to warm the bench, this time against Bangladesh in the World Cup match between India and Bangladesh at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Thursday, October 19.
The Men in Blue retained the same playing XI after a win over Pakistan by seven wickets. The think tank continued to back Shardul Thakur, who has scalped one wicket in the last two outings.
Ashwin had played India’s 2023 World Cup opener against Australia, finishing with figures of 1/34. The Aussies were bundled out for 199 in 49.3 overs. India won the match by six wickets.
The off-spinner has scalped 14 wickets in 12 limited-overs matches against Bangladesh so far.
The development doesn't come as a surprise as India captain Rohit Sharma, a part-time off-spinner, was recently seen bowling in the nets.
Fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) slammed the team management for retaining Shardul Thakur over the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami. One user wrote:
"Shardul ki jaga Ashwin sahi tha."
Here are some more reactions:
Najmul Hossain Shanto is leading Bangladesh in Shakib Al Hasan’s absence against India in 2023 World Cup match
Najmul Hossain Shanto is leading Bangladesh in Shakib Al Hasan’s absence. They made a couple of changes as Nasum Ahmed and Tanzid Hasan replaced Shakib and Taskin Ahmed, respectively.
At the toss, Shanto said:
“Proud moment for me and my family. We'd like to bat today. Looks like a fresh wicket. If we put some good score, it'll be good for the team. He (Shakib) is struggling a bit, and Nasum is coming in for him. Hasan comes in for Taskin.”
Besides Ashwin, India also ignored Mohammed Shami, who is yet to game in the 2023 World Cup.
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (w), Mahmudullah, Nasum Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Follow IND vs BAN 2023 World Cup live coverage here.
