• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

India vs Australia Final, World Cup 2023: Ravichandran Ashwin has emerged as a last-minute option for India in the ODI World Cup 2023 final against Australia.

The India vs Australia final is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, November 19 (today).

The Indian team was fortunate enough to find a stable combination after Hardik Pandya was ruled out of the tournament due to injury.

While the Rohit Sharma-led side was forced to include Mohammed Shami in the playing XI, they have played the rest of the matches without making any changes.

Notably, Shami has provided the team with a promising belief with spectacular performances with the ball, having picked up 23 wickets in just six matches.

 

ALSO READ: Players To Watch Out For In IND vs AUS World Cup 2023 Final

 

The moment Australia were locked as the opponents for the Indian team in the final, Ashwin's name emerged as an option to feature in the all-important game considering his record against them, especially in the longest version of the game.

Amid all the talks over the possible nature of the pitch for the final match, it is possible that India might include Ashwin against Australia if the match is to be played on a slow surface.

Talking about the pitch, Australian skipper Pat Cummins said that it looked pretty firm, 24 hours away from the game but added that he expects it to be a slow deck.

"I'm not a great pitch reader, but it looked pretty firm. They've only just watered it, so yeah, give it another 24 hours and have a look, but it looks like a pretty good wicket," Cummins said.

Cummins went on to reveal that it's the same surface where India defeated Pakistan earlier in the tournament as he also expected it to behave better than one at Eden Gardens.

Australia had their struggles against the spin in Kolkata, while chasing 213 runs vs South Africa, and managed a win by three wickets in the semi-final clash.

"Yeah, hard to know I think it's been a bit more high-scoring here throughout the tournament. Yeah, it's been a pretty good wicket, so yeah, hard to say," Cummins said.

The scenario gives rise to a possibility that in case the ball gets a promising turn and the track plays slow throughout, will India opt to go for three spinners by breaking their winning combination?

Notably, India went with the three spinners (Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin) in their first match of the tournament where Ashwin bowled brilliantly for his one wicket and just 34 runs in 10 overs as India defeated Australia by six wickets in Chennai.

However, things were different back then as India were somewhere finding the perfect combination and Ashwin's inclusion was more dependent on the traditional slow nature of the pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.


Who will make way for Ashwin?

Ashwin hasn't played a match in the tournament since playing the opening match against Australia.

In such a case, it looks unlikely that Rohit Sharma won't be making such a big tactical change in an important match like the final.

Meanwhile, Ashwin could prove to be effective against Australia's two explosive batters in the top order David Warner and Travis Head.

In case the Indian team decides to make that change, Mohammed Siraj will most likely have to make way from the side as the other two pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have made themselves undroppable with their consistent wicket-taking performances.

 

ALSO READ: Commentary Panel For IND vs AUS World Cup 2023 Final

 

The other player who could be missing out in case Ashwin makes his way into the playing XI is Suryakumar Yadav.

The decision seems unlikely but with the disappointing performances with the bat Suryakumar has had so far, the option isn't ruled out also considering the impressive performances from other batters in the top order.

With the in-from top order, India might compromise the batting depth by benching Suryakumar to include Ashwin in the team.