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'Don't know what he's done wrong. Ashwin is used to being left out...': Gavaskar furious over India's XI decision vs AFG
Gavaskar didn't mince his words as he talked about India's playing XI decision during the game against Afghanistan.
In the crucial World Cup clash between Afghanistan and India, Hashmatullah Shahidi - the Afghanistan captain – decided to bat after winning the toss in Delhi on Wednesday. Shahidi expressed his confidence in the pitch, believing it to be favorable for batting, and he aimed to set a challenging target for India. In contrast, Rohit Sharma, India's captain, wasn't particularly disappointed by losing the toss, emphasizing that his team wanted to bat second due to the dew factor. India made a notable change to their playing XI from the previous match against Australia, with the omission of Ravichandran Ashwin in favor of Shardul Thakur.
The decision to leave out Ashwin wasn't entirely unexpected, given that the Delhi pitch might not provide as much assistance to spinners as the one in Chennai. However, the choice of picking Shardul over Mohammed Shami, who took a remarkable hat-trick in India's last match against Afghanistan during the 2019 World Cup, raised some eyebrows, including batting legend Sunil Gavaskar.
The former India captain expressed his surprise at this decision, stating that Shami has shown his capability to turn the tide of a game with his remarkable bowling performances.
“I don't know what he's (Ashwin) done wrong, but there you are,” Gavaskar said.
“It is a difficult call; as group you look to try and give as many players an outing. I would have thought, what Shami did against Afghanistan in 2019, turning the match in India's way, he would get a go. It is just a pyschological thing, here's a man who took a hat-trick… I know, there will be a few changes in the Afghanistan XI from 2019, but well. It's a call that has been made. Ashwin is used to be left out of team, it is only going to make him more determined,” the former captain further added.
Afghanistan unchanged
Afghanistan's playing XI remained unchanged from their previous match against Bangladesh, where they suffered a six-wicket defeat in Dharamsala. The side, thus, would be determined to stage a strong comeback and create an upset against home side in Delhi.
