Last Update on: March 26th, 2023 at 11:26 am

Ravichandran Ashwin fully supports the team management’s decision to promote Axar Patel over Suryakumar Yadav during the Chennai ODI. He believes that the team management had made the right decision based on the situation and the conditions of the match.

India made the choice to bat Axar higher in the order in the series finale rather than Suryakumar, who entered the game having just suffered back-to-back golden ducks in the first two ODIs.

The strategy, however, failed as India lost the game after Axar was dismissed for only two runs and Suryakumar was once more despatched for a golden duck, making it three in a row for him.

As reported by News 18, Ashwin justified the choice, claiming that Axar was sent in to counter Zampa and Agar and that if he had succeeded, India would have won the match.

“Why did they promote Axar? If they promoted Axar and he negated Zampa and Agar by taking them for 35 or 50 runs in 10 overs then the game was in India’s bag. So the intent was right but the run-out happened. The outcome wasn’t right,” said Ravichandran Ashwin.

“Suryakumar Yadav is also one such player” – Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin is correct in his assertion that Australia’s batting order change was not discussed as much as India’s because Australia won the match. However, it is important to note that the criticism of India’s batting order change was not necessarily due to the change itself, but rather the timing of it.

India made the change when they were in a strong position in the match, and the change ended up backfiring as the new batsman was dismissed quickly. This led to criticism of the decision to make the change when India was in a strong position, rather than when they were in a weaker position.

“Surya came down the order, Axar was promoted and KL Rahul batted at No.4, that was the talking point of the game. Please look at Australia’s batting order consistently. When Maxwell returns that’s how they will use him as well. Because they are players who can create impact. Suryakumar Yadav is also one such player,” Ravichandran Ashwin said.

“He plays spin really well. Australia won that’s why it didn’t become a talking point but Marnus Labuschagne who bats at No.4 had to bat at No.5 because of David Warner. If they had lost the game, these questions would have been asked. It’s decided based on the situation of the game, it’s a hunch call,” Ravichandran Ashwin said.

“There is an opinion that India is the strongest team. We are a strong team, no doubt about that but somewhere down the line, we assume ourselves to be an invincible cricketing nation. So the feedback coming from the public sometimes can be harsh. Even experts are very harsh with their criticisms these days,” Ravichandran Ashwin concluded.

The last time India lost a home series was in 2018/19. It was defeated 3-2 in an ODI series against Australia. India has won six Test series, 14 T20I series, and seven ODI series at home since then.

Also Read: IPL 2023: “I Failed Because The Final Decision Is The Person’s Own” – Shikhar Dhawan Opens Up On His Failed Marriage

IPL 2023: Ravichandran Ashwin Supports Team Management’s Choice To Promote Axar Patel Over Suryakumar Yadav During The Chennai ODI

“Suryakumar Yadav is also one such player” – Ravichandran Ashwin

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