Ravichandran Ashwin has been on a downward spiral in one-day cricket but India skipper Virat Kohli feels it's unfair to be critical of him.
Playing as an 'Impact sub', Rohit scored just 11 runs off 12 balls during Mumbai Indians' 24-run defeat to KKR. The result has almost put the five-time champions out of the reckoning for a play-offs berth.
India finished as the number one team with 72.2 percentage points in the WTC points table, the factor that determined the final placings rather than total points won, following a change to the points system owing to the Covid-19 disruption.
'You are playing a World Test Championships final, and you don't pick the number one bowler in Test cricket.'
'I faced Ashwin a couple times in IPL before this, so don't have much experience of playing him in Test cricket. But we have batsmen who can play spin well'
India captain Rohit Sharma on Friday said left-arm spinner Axar Patel is likely to miss the first two ODIs against Australia next week while middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer is "99 percent" match-fit.
'I am new to Kings XI, so it is going to be how we come together, how the team dynamics work and take it forward.'
India's off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said he is not intimidated by the Australian batsmen's strategy of attacking him as he has the ability to handle the onslaught and pick wickets as well.
Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal on Thursday congratulated Ravichandran Ashwin for being named as ICC Cricketer of the Year, saying the ace off-spinner truly deserves the award. "I think he truly deserves this award. From two-three years, he has been performing brilliantly, especially while bowling. This year especially, his performance has been phenomenal and he has won many matches for India," Lal told ANI. "There was never any doubt that he is a world class spinner.At present, I think he is the best spinner in the world," he added.
Mhambrey said the team has taken tough decision to bench players of the caliber of Shami, Suryakumar and Ravichandran Ashwin
'It's always disappointing being on the losing team. Looking back at when we had our chance to bat yesterday, cricket is always skill against skill.'
Indian Olympic medallist shuttler Saina Nehwal reached Uttar Pradesh on Sunday to take part in the Ram Temple 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony to be held in Ayodhya on Monday and expressed their delight, saying that she feels fortunate to have come for the event.
They are the team's leading performers, but Lokesh Rahul and Chris Gayle's batting in the Powerplay overs was one of the "massive problems", opined Kings XI Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin after team failed to make it to the play-offs in Season 12 of the Indian Premier League.
India's bid to win a 17th consecutive home Test series, however, hinges on the success of their three-pronged spin attack comprising Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
India Test captain Virat Kohli has lavished praise on Ravichandran Ashwin.
India made the blunder of reading the conditions wrong during the last WTC final in 2021 and shouldn't repeat the mistake this time as they eye their maiden ICC title in 10 years.
Yuzvendra Chahal last featured in the Indian ODI team in January.
IMAGES from the 1st Test, Day 1 between India and England played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, on Thursday
India batting coach Vikram Rathour said that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is working closely with the medical team and the decision on his inclusion will be taken ahead of the start of the match on Friday.
England getting bamboozled on turning tracks is no longer a "foregone conclusion" and the shock loss in the opening Test has given India a lot to think about ahead of the second game, says visiting team's pace ace Mark Wood.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and England at Visakhapatnam.
Tough to look beyond Shreyas in WC playing XI, Gill will be main player for India, says Azharuddin
Harbhajan Singh reckons the current team has not shown the fearlessness that one needs to win ICC titles
Although Manjrekar believes that Chahal will likely be chosen for the World Cup, he personally favours Kuldeep in the 50 overs format.
Upset by Jimmy Anderson's comments about Virat Kohli, the usually calm Ravi Ashwin gives the English bowler a piece of his mind.
The pitches might not have been entirely in their favour, but the Indian pacers' ability to strike at vital situations has made a sea of difference in the Test series against England, reckons top-order batter Shubman Gill.
Emotions were at an all-time high in the Indian team dressing room after they registered a historic win against England with a winning margin of 434 runs in the third Test of the series on Sunday in Rajkot.
England lose Duckett chasing 399 against India
Cheteshwar Pujara defended teammate Ravichandran Ashwin after a poor outing by the premier off-spinner left India facing a daunting task in the fourth Test against England, in Southampton, on Saturday.
Ravichandran Ashwin says a stint in county cricket and tweaking his bowling action paid dividends.
Ravichandran Ashwin's sense of humour is unmatched and he won a lot of hearts with a moving speech in which he even made up for a faux pas by former India keeper Farookh Engineer.
'You can't be just bowling the orthodox line when someone is sweeping you.'
India's dependable No 3 landed and scored 162 for MRC against Crombest Club giving another example of his commitment towards the game irrespective of the level of competition.
Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly is in favour of drafting left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha in the India side for the Perth Test in place of a struggling R Ashwin.
India will need to be ruthless and tactful in equal measure while dealing with an unpredictable England when the third chapter of a riveting Test series begins in Rajkot on Thursday.
Virender Sehwag's 'scientist' tweet on Ashwin goes viral
England succumbed to the pressure of standing up to a world-class band of Indian spinners
India's spin great Erapalli Prasanna rates Ravichandran Ashwin as the best spinner in the world currently but urged the off-spinner to give the ball more air.
Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley said on Sunday the strip used for the first Test against India didn't offer much to the tweakers and he had to "keep a cool head" to make his debut memorable with a seven-wicket haul in a famous England victory.
'Ashwin doesn't really need to be as attacking as Bhajji. His role within this side is well-defined by a slightly better fast bowling attack (as support cast) than what my generation was facing' 'Kohli would have done fine against Glenn McGrath'
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances