The 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) has thrown umpteen possibilities for India's probable T20 World Cup squad over the course of the last two months. Besides the mainstay options, veteran cricketers and analysts have backed a few uncapped stars as well for the big tournament along with a few fringe players as well. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar joined the bandwagon on Friday after Rajasthan Royals' win over Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai and hailed India's 35-year-old star as undroppable for the T20 World Cup. (Follow IPL 2022 full coverage)
Gavaskar was full of praise for Rajasthan Royals' R Ashwin, who has just not performed well as a bowler in IPL 2022, picking 11 wickets in 14 games at an economy rate of 7.14, but has also displayed his batting prowess in the shortest format, scoring 183 runs in 10 innings at 30.50 and at a strike rate of 146.40 with one half-century score as well.
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The tally includes his unbeaten 23-ball 40 against CSK on Friday that helped RR win by five wickets and finish second in the league stage.
Hailing his batting performance, Gavaskar in conversation with Star Sports said, “I think he wanted to show he can bat anywhere. He started his career as an opening batsman, not at the first-class level may be, but at the club level. Now he has become one of the greatest spinners in the game. And he also knows that he is a batsman who has got five Test hundreds. So he can bat, he knows that. He has now shown that he can do it in the ultra-short format and be in the Indian team for the World Cup in Australia. That is his aim and that is why he is so excited about his own batting performance. He's showing with the ball and with the bat that ‘Hello! Pick me.’"
{{/usCountry}}Hailing his batting performance, Gavaskar in conversation with Star Sports said, “I think he wanted to show he can bat anywhere. He started his career as an opening batsman, not at the first-class level may be, but at the club level. Now he has become one of the greatest spinners in the game. And he also knows that he is a batsman who has got five Test hundreds. So he can bat, he knows that. He has now shown that he can do it in the ultra-short format and be in the Indian team for the World Cup in Australia. That is his aim and that is why he is so excited about his own batting performance. He's showing with the ball and with the bat that ‘Hello! Pick me.’"
{{/usCountry}}Ashwin was part of the T20 World Cup team last year after Washington Sundar had incurred an injury and he made his first appearance for the Indian team in the format since 2017, in the match against Scotland. However, after the tournament, he was only part of the New Zealand contest and was also picked in the ODI squad for the South Africa tour.