ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Ravichandran Ashwin injures his knee ahead of final

What’s the Story?

With less than 24 hours to go for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final between arch-rivals India and Pakistan, the Men in Blue were dealt a blow as Ravichandran Ashwin injured his knee while practising for the crucial encounter.

As per reports from News 18, the extent of the injury is not known and there is no update yet about whether he will play in the final. However, renowned cricket journalist Jarrod Kimber tweeted saying that the injury looks “ok” and he has an ice pack on his knee.

Ashwin was hit in the knee at fielding practice, he has a big ice thingy on it. Looks ok.

— Jarrod Kimber (@ajarrodkimber) June 17, 2017

In case you didn’t know...

After sitting out for the entire Indian Premier League 2017 season, Ashwin was included in the squad for the Champions Trophy. However, he did not feature in the first two matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He was included in the playing XI for the match against South Africa and the decision paid dividends as Ashwin picked up one wicket and gave away only 43 runs in the 9 overs he bowled.

He played in the semifinal against Bangladesh as well but was not as successful as he did not pick up a single wicket and gave away 54 runs in 10 overs.

The Details:

The team combination has been a big question for India throughout the Champions Trophy and there were questions raised when Ashwin was not included in the playing XI for the first two matches.

When he was eventually picked for the match against South Africa, there were further questions raised as to why Umesh Yadav was dropped from the side. A lot of people felt that Kedar Jadhav or Hardik Pandya should have taken the axe to accommodate Ashwin in the side.

What’s next?

The all important final between India and Pakistan will take place at the Oval in London on June 18.

Author’s Take

Ashwin’s absence would be a big blow to the Indian cricket team as he would play an important role against Pakistan in the final. If he is ruled out of the match, we would most likely see Umesh take his place in the side with the rest of the playing XI remaining the same. However, with reports suggesting that he should be fine, the Indian cricket team fans should be able to breathe a sigh of relief.