World Cup 2023: The Second Coming Of Ravichandran Ashwin

IMAGE: Out of nowhere, Ravichandran Ashwin has bagged a rare chance to play his second World Cup at home. Photograph: BCCI

Life rarely gives you a second chance and when it does, you should make sure to grab it with both hands. This is a lesson that spin wizard Ravichandran Ashwin has learned well.

Not so long ago, Ashwin's ODI career seemed to be over. He had not played an ODI since January 2022 and was not picked for the previous World Cup in 2019. In fact, he was not even part of the provisional 15-member World Cup squad announced earlier this month, with Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel picked as the three frontline spinners.

But things changed dramatically for the 37-year-old spinner in a matter of days. Axar's injury gave him a sudden lifeline for the World Cup when he was called up for the first two ODIs of the three-match series against Australia at home.

It was a surprise call, considering that Ashwin had been out of favour in white-ball cricket for a long time. He had posted on X a video and few pictures of him bowling with the white ball in the nets at National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, a session overseen by former India spinner Sairaj Bahutule and NCA chief V V S Laxman on September 15.

Ashwin revealed that the team management had asked him to stay ready in case there were any injuries.

'I came back from the West Indies, took a break, played in a few club games. The team management kept me in the loop, whenever they said there could be chance. Stay ready, just in case. I was touching base with my fitness, started bowling a few sessions,' Ashwin had said in a video posted by the BCCI ahead of the Australia ODIs.

IMAGE: Off-spinner Ashwin's inclusion gives India much needed variety in their spin attack for the World Cup. Photograph: BCCI

It is no secret that the team management values Ashwin's experience and his superb record in Test cricket at home. They considered him for the World Cup ahead of his young Tamil Nadu team-mate Washington Sundar, who is highly rated in white ball cricket as a spin all-rounder.

'Ashwin has got the class, he's got experience of playing the sport and handling the pressure... you cannot take away the class and the experience that the individual has over the years, and in the last couple of games against Australia, we saw how well he bowled. He's got a lot of variations up his sleeves,' Captain Rohit Sharma had said in his strong defence of Ashwin's inclusion in the mix for the World Cup earlier this month.

Ashwin played ahead of Sundar in the first two ODIs and made the most of the opportunity. He took 1/47 in the first ODI but sealed his World Cup place with his impressive 3/41 in the second game. He dismissed three of the top five Australian batters: David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne and Josh Inglish.

Ashwin's inclusion gives India much needed variety in their spin attack, which includes two left-arm spinners: Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.

The senior off-spinner will take inspiration from his impactful performances during the 2011 World Cup, where he opened the bowling in a couple of matches. He took 2/52 against Australia in the quarter-final: The dangerous Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson. He also claimed two wickets against West Indies in a league stage game.

IMAGE: Ashwin celebrates the wicket of Pakistan's Haris Sohail during the 2015 World Cup match in Adelaide. Photograph: David Gray/Reuters

He was the lead spinner in the 2015 ODI World Cup in which he claimed 13 wickets from eight games. He lost his place in the ODI team after his below par showing in the 2017 Champions Trophy in which India had suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the final at The Oval in London.

Ashwin had managed just one wicket in three games, going wicketless against Pakistan in the final, conceding 70 runs from his 10 overs. He didn't play a single ODI match after that for five years.

Ashwin made a return to ODI team in January 2022, but couldn't make much of an impression, taking just one wicket in two games, and it seemed his ODI career was good as over.

It doesn't take much for luck to change and Ashwin will consider himself fortunate to get a rare chance to play his second World Cup at home.

Ashwin and Virat Kohli are the only two cricketers from the 2011 World Cup winning team in the 2023 team and both will be hoping to sign off their ODI careers on a high!

Ashwin's ODI Record