Dinesh Karthik confirms India looking beyond Ravichandran Ashwin, names replacement

As veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin approaches the end of his career, Dinesh Karthik has named the potential successor for the Indian cricket team. Dinesh Karthik stated that young Indian off-spinner Washington Sundar could replace Ravichandran Ashwin in the national cricket team.

Ravichandran Ashwin has become Team India's premier off-spinner after Harbhajan Singh. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer has delivered exceptional performances across formats. He has played over 100 Test matches for India. The team management is now looking for a spinner who can replace Ashwin.

Ashwin last played an ODI match in the 2023 World Cup against Australia. He wasn't considered for the format after the tournament. Ashwin's last T20I was against England in the semifinal of the 2022 T20 World Cup. The bowler is set to be seen in action in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.

Washington Sundar Is The Front-Runner - Dinesh Karthik

Ravichandran Ashwin remains one of the world's top bowlers but with only 2-3 years left in his career. Dinesh Karthik said that India tested three young off-spinners, Pulkit Narang, Washington Sundar, and Saransh Jain, during the recent India 'A' series against England Lions.

“India are definitely looking for a next-gen off-spinner, as in last India ‘A’ series against England Lions, they tried three off-spinners in three matches: Pulkit Narang, Washington Sundar and Saransh Jain,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

The former Indian wicketkeeper-batter said that Washington Sundar is the leading candidate to succeed Ravichandran Ashwin. Karthik noted that Sundar has performed well in his limited opportunities. He added that Sundar is likely to be given a chance before considering anyone else.

“They are trying out and Washington Sundar is the front-runner behind Ravichandran Ashwin right now. He’s done well in whatever limited opportunities he’s got and I feel he will get his due first before going to anybody else,” Dinesh Karthik added.

Ravichandran Ashwin has played 100 Tests for India and taken 516 wickets at an average of 23.75. He is the second-highest wicket-taker among Indian bowlers, behind Anil Kumble, who took 619 wickets in 132 Tests. Ashwin has also scored 3,309 runs in 141 innings at an average of 26.26, including five centuries.

Former India off-spinner M. Venkataramana said that finding effective off-spinners is challenging nowadays. He highlighted that off-spinners are particularly vulnerable because they often land the ball in a hitting zone that favors aggressive shots.

“See, any spinner will get hit on a given day. Off-spinners are much easier in the sense they get into the arc because a lot of cricketers are good at hitting sixes to cow corner. So it is a natural shot as off-spinners get into that slot very easily,” M Venkataramana told The Indian Express.

Washington Sundar was last seen in action during the recent white-ball series against Sri Lanka. The young bowler took two wickets in one match and was the leading wicket-taker for India in the ODI series. Sundar secured five wickets in three matches at an average of 21.00 and an economy rate of 3.89.

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