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New Delhi: On the deadline day of submitting the squad for the ODI World Cup, India have brought in veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in place of injured all-rounder Axar Patel.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced Ashwin as Axar's replacement on Thursday.
Axar failed to recover in time for the World Cup after sustaining a left quadriceps strain during India’s Asia Cup Super Four encounter against Bangladesh. Subsequently, the spin-bowling all-rounder missed the final of the Asia Cup as well as India's three-match ODI series against Australia.
Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been named his replacement, who made the most of the opportunity and impressed on his return to 50-over format in the recently concluded series against Australia where he picked up four wickets in two games.
Axar too was named conditionally in the squad for the final ODI subject to his fitness but missed the game which India lost by 66 runs in Rajkot.
India World Cup squad:
Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.
India will be relying on the experience of Ashwin to fill the void left by Axar. The 37-year-old also possesses the experience of playing on the big stage, having featured in the 2011 and 2015 editions of the World Cup for India.
Despite Axar missing the World Cup, India have almost a full-strength side at their disposal with KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah all making successful comeback from long-term injuries.
All three stars have made vital contributions in the games leading up to the tournament. Rahul announced his comeback with an incredible century against arch-rival Pakistan in the Super Four Asia Cup encounter. Iyer too struck a ton in the second ODI against Australia.
Bumrah has shown glimpses of returning to his best, which included a fiery spell against Pakistan in the Super Fours of the Asia Cup. The ace pacer put on a clinical death bowling against Australia in the final ODI.
India will begin their World Cup campaign on October 7 against five-time Champions Australia. Before the tournament, Rohit Sharma's men will play two warm-up fixtures, the first against England on September 30 followed by the Netherlands on October 3.
