Is Ravichandran Ashwin the right prospect for ODIs?

A few months ago, the whole cricketing world was going gaga over Ravichandran Ashwin’s consistent run of form in India’s home Test season where he bagged heaps of wickets, performing at the peak of his prowess.

He made life difficult for every Kiwi, English, Bangladeshi and Australian batsman that toured India and remained the number 1 bowler in the ICC Test rankings for quite some time. Even today, he is second in the world only behind his spin partner Ravindra Jadeja.

After a hectic season, he had to skip the Indian Premier League due to an injury. He recovered just in time to be picked in India’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy.

But in the tournament opener, he didn’t find a place in the XI against Pakistan and the Indians proved too good for their Asian neighbours.

In the next match, the bowlers looked clueless against the Sri Lanka batsmen who chased down India’s total of 321 rather comfortably. All of a sudden, there were calls from fans and pundits alike for Ashwin to be reinstated into the line-up.

He was indeed picked to play against South Africa where he did a decent job by claiming figures of 43/1 in 9 overs, bagging the crucial wicket of Hashim Amla.

But in the next two games, Ashwin had a torrid time. In the semis against Bangladesh, he remained wicketless and conceded 54 runs. In the final versus Pakistan where a lot was expected of him, he gave away 70 runs from 10 overs without claiming a single wicket.

There was a phase in the final when Fakhar Zaman was going all guns blazing against the opening bowlers. Virat Kohli introduced Ashwin into the attack hoping that the experienced spinner would provide him with the much-needed breakthrough.

However, that was not the case. The off-spinner turned up and bowled sliders to the left-hander, trying to keep him quiet. He constantly fired deliveries to the batsman’s pads to cramp him for room and there wasn’t a single flighted delivery to tempt the Pakistani opener.

Ashwin was afraid that the batsman would launch him over the top, but it was a risk worth taking. He might have gotten hit for a couple of sixes but could have also induced a false stroke to turn the game in India’s favour.

The deliveries he had used – those dipping off-breaks – to trap so many batsmen in the past were nowhere to be seen. He couldn’t pick any wicket and even failed to keep a check on the scoring rate.

The fans, the commentators, and the spectators were all surprised to see Ashwin being so defensive. The bowler who is known for his aggressive strategies to dismiss batsmen just didn’t show up which raises the question, “Is he the right prospect for ODI cricket?”

Let’s take a look at how the 30-year-old has performed in ODI cricket in the recent past:

Very few games in past couple of years

Ashwin struggled in the Champions Trophy

Going into the Champions Trophy, Ashwin had very little ODI cricket under his belt. He had played merely nine ODIs since the 2015 ODI World Cup, where he had bagged 12 wickets at 5.55 runs per over.

His latest appearance in an ODI series was against England at home earlier this year. Playing in familiar conditions, he didn’t look close to his usual self and bagged just three wickets from three matches at almost 7 runs an over.

Perhaps the lack of exposure to white ball cricket worked against him as he seemed clueless in English conditions. There was hardly any assistance from the pitches in England for the spinners and that added to Ashwin's misery.

It appeared as if he was underprepared for the Champions Trophy where he managed to pick just one wicket in three matches, averaging a massive 167. However, it wasn’t that every spinner struggled in the tournament. Adil Rashid of England bowled attacking lines and picked up seven wickets from three matches. Imran Tahir of South Africa too picked up wickets at crucial stages.

If Ashwin was rusty in the format, was it the right decision to pick him in the squad or should BCCI have gone for someone who had played consistently in ODIs and in the IPL?

Does he fit into the 2019 World Cup set up?

The next ODI World Cup is less than two years from now and the teams will soon start planning for the coveted tournament.

The question that the Indian selectors and the team management need to consider is whether Ashwin could be an asset for the World Cup 2019 or not. India did pretty well in the Champions Trophy but one of their weakest links was Ashwin and his inability to pick wickets in the middle overs.

He is a world-class Test bowler, there is absolutely no denying that fact, but is he as good in ODIs? The overall record does suggest that he is good enough. In 108 matches, he has accounted for 146 wickets at an average of 33.3 and a strike rate of 4.93.

But he hasn't been a regular part of the ODI outfit for India. Additionally, his dismal show in England puts Virat Kohli and team India in a dilemma ahead of the 2019 World Cup.

Possible replacements

Kuldeep Yadav could be introduced into the setup sooner rather than later

India have kept Ashwin away from ODIs in the past couple of years, preserving him for Test cricket instead. In his absence, Amit Mishra and Axar Patel have featured every now and then.

Since the 2015 World Cup, Mishra has picked up 19 wickets in nine matches at 22.78 giving away 5.1 runs per over whereas Axar has 19 wickets in 17 games with a better economy rate of 4.37 and an average of 34.57.

Both have done well but haven’t been tested a lot overseas. India will be playing quite often outside the subcontinent in the coming year, hence it will be the perfect opportunity to test them out.

There has been a marked increase in the impact of wrist spinners in ODI cricket and so Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav should also be under consideration. The duo along with Mishra and Axar need to travel overseas and play on a consistent basis.

The next year and a half would be very crucial in deciding the fate of India’s spinners. The spinner who is considered for the World Cup needs to have a good year of international cricket under his belt and at the moment, it does not look like Ashwin will be on the flight to England.