Ravichandran Ashwin has returned to India’s ODI squad after a long break of 20 months. The veteran off-spin bowling all-rounder has been named in India’s squad for the upcoming ODIs against Australia. Interestingly, R Ashwin’s last ODI was also under the captaincy of KL Rahul, who will be leading India in the first two ODIs against Australia.
R Ashwin’s last ODI appearance for India came on January 21 against South Africa at the Boland Park. He scored an unbeaten 24-ball 25 with the bat in the first innings and followed it up with a 0/68 spell in 10 overs. South Africa chased down a 288-run target in 48.1 overs to beat India by three wickets. Here’s a look at India’s XI from that match and where those players are now.
Openers in R Ashwin’s last ODI – KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan
Captain KL Rahul opened with Shikhar Dhawan in that match. Rahul scored 55 runs off 79 balls, while Dhawan departed after a 38-ball 29. Rahul will captain India in the upcoming series. Dhawan was dropped after the Bangladesh series last year.
Middle Order – Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Shardul Thakur and R Ashwin
Virat Kohli got out for a five-ball duck in that game. Rishabh Pant scored 85 runs, while Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer failed to touch the 30-run mark. Shardul Thakur and Ashwin had an unbeaten 48-run stand for the seventh wicket.
Kohli, Shreyas and Thakur are present in India’s squad for the 2023 World Cup. Pant is recovering from injuries after an accident, while Venkatesh has been dropped. Ashwin is back in India’s ODI squad now.
Bowlers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal
Bumrah bowled a tidy spell of 1/37 in 10 overs. Kumar bowled an expensive spell of 0/67 in eight overs, while Chahal returned with figures of 1/47. Only Bumrah is a part of India’s World Cup squad. Chahal and Kumar have been dropped from the ODI team now.
