“Kohli wanted him to be part of the World Cup”- Ganguly on Ashwin’s surprise inclusion

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has admitted that he wasn’t sure whether Ravichandran Ashwin would be part of Team India’s white-ball set-up again. Ashwin did not play any white-ball cricket for India for four years after being dropped in 2017.

Ganguly, however, revealed that Virat Kohli was keen to have Ashwin in the squad for the T20 World Cup. The BCCI president hailed the seasoned off-spinner for grabbing his opportunities.

In a candid interaction on the chat show ‘Backstage with Boria’, the BCCI president said:

“I wasn’t sure whether he would be part of the white-ball team again. But then Virat Kohli wanted him to be part of the World Cup. And, whatever little bit of opportunity he got, I thought he was superb.”

Ashwin claimed six wickets in three matches during the T20 World Cup 2021 and carried on his impressive form in the T20Is against New Zealand at home as well.

Hailing Ashwin, Ganguly added that his appreciation for the off-spinner stems from what the 35-year-old has achieved. The former India captain added:

“Everybody speaks about him. Look at Rahul Dravid’s statement after the (Kanpur) Test match - he called him an all-time great. You don’t need rocket science to judge Ashwin’s talent. My appreciation just comes from what I see. It may be Ashwin, it may be (Shreyas) Iyer, it may be Rohit (Sharma), it may be Virat (Kohli).”

During the Test series against New Zealand, Ashwin went past Harbhajan Singh (417 wickets) to become India's third-leading wicket-taker in the longer format of the game.

“Does not need me to say Ashwin is exceptional” - Ganguly

There have been times when Ashwin has been left out of the Test playing XI despite having done nothing wrong. The same happened during the Test series in England as well. However, Ganguly is someone who has always been vocal in his support of Ashwin.

Shedding light on the same, Ganguly explained:

“I don’t see a reason why (I shouldn’t back him). Look at the number of winning teams he has been a part of. 2011 World Cup, he was part of the winning team for India. 2013, when he won the Champions Trophy, he was a leading bowler in that tournament. When CSK won IPLs, he was the main bowler for them, bowling in the powerplay and difficult situations.”

The 49-year-old continued:

“Look at his Test record, it is phenomenal. It does not need me to say Ravichandran Ashwin is exceptional. His record and his performances show it. And you can’t ignore such players. You cannot just turn your eyes and say that he’s gone. I am not surprised with what he is doing.”

Having made his Test debut in 2011, Ashwin has claimed 427 wickets in 81 matches at an average of 24.12. He also has 150 ODI and 61 T20I scalps to his name.