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ICC World Cup 2023: India faces a selection dilemma over Ashwin and Shardul before the big clash against Pakistan

Indian selectors are faced with a huge dilemma over the selection of Ashwin and Shardul before the mercurial clash against Pakistan.

By Soumya | Oct 13, 2023 | 3 Min Read

Cricket fans around the world are eagerly waiting for the much-anticipated clash between India and Pakistan on Saturday. However, behind the scenes, there is a huge dilemma over the selection of two vital members of the lineup. Subsequently, this conundrum has sent the Indian selectors into utter confusion. This utter confusion also generates from the fact that both the players in contention over here- Ashwin and Shardul have proven themselves at the world stage. However, in the present situation only one will get the green signal. Of course Indian selectors will keep in a lot of factors in their min before making the final selection.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur/Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

The big question: Ashwin or Shardul?

The Indian selectors are faced with a selection enigma going ahead with the mercurial clash against Pakistan. Earlier, there was a toss between Rahul and Suryakumar. However, with a solid knock against Australia and Iyer’s return to form against Afghanistan, the batting lineup looks concrete. But the no. 8 conundrum continues to exist down the line. Ravichandran Ashwin played the first game in Chennai and then made way for Shardul Thakur in the next game at Hyderabad. Naturally, either one of them will get the green signal in the playing XI. Naturally, a careful selection has to be made given the fact that this could potentially alter the bowling attack against Pakistan.

Traditionally, the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is considered to be a paradise for batters with a slight help for fast bowlers. Therefore, the most obvious choice is Shardul Thakur going by that rationale. Moreover, Thakur has enjoyed a tremendous run of form himself at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Likewise, when it comes to T20Is, he is the most successful bowler in history over there. Another plus point that the selectors might take a look into is the explosive batting ability that Shardul brings to the table. India has already two in-form all-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya in their lineup. With the addition of Thakur, it is surely going to bolster the batting lineup even more.

While everything weighs heavily in favour of Shardul, the one thing that Ashwin brings in is a bag full of experience. The veteran is a classic comeback story as he made a surprise return in the Australia ODI series. Subsequently, he made it to the World Cup squad in place of the injured Axar Patel. Ashwin has faced Pakistan 8 times in his career and has taken 10 wickets at an economy rate below 5. Moreover, Ashwin was also part of the high-voltage drama at the 2011 World Cup. So, the selectors might just tilt the balance in favour of Ash this time.