He can be a match-winner for you – Arjuna Ranatunga backs Ravichandran Ashwin to be in India’s World Cup squad

Sri Lanka’s World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga wants Ravichandran Ashwin to be in India’s World Cup squad. Ranatunga feels Ashwin could be a match-winner for the Rohit Sharma-led team.

Ashwin has not been picked in India’s 15-man World Cup squad but he has been selected for a three-match ODI series against Australia. With Axar Patel not fully fit, Ashwin has been kept in line as a back-up option.

Meanwhile, Ashwin has all the experience under his belt and he can deliver with both bat and ball. Ashwin has scalped 151 wickets in 113 ODI matches at an average of 33.5 and an economy rate of 4.94.

In his column for the Indian Express, Arjuna Ranatunga wrote: “They are looking more at the all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, but I personally feel that they should have someone like R Ashwin in the squad, if not in the XI.”

“When he plays, he can be a match-winner for you. He may be slightly older, he might be slightly slow on the field, but you need guys in the sub-continent who can contain and can take wickets,” he added.

India doesn’t have an off-spinner in their World Cup squad as the selectors have picked Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav and it could be a chink in their armor.

Meanwhile, India will have the advantage of playing in their known conditions but Ranatunga feels the players will also have to cope with the pressure of playing in front of their own crowd.

“India will definitely have a huge advantage in the World Cup, however, they will have the biggest disadvantage of playing in front of their own fans. In India, the crowds will put a lot of pressure on the Indian team and they need to overcome that apart from the opposition,” the former cricketer added.

India has a balanced squad and they certainly have the players who can take them to glory in the quadrennial event. Team India will begin their World Cup campaign against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on October 8.