India has had to make a last-minute change to their 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Unfortunately, Axar Patel couldn’t recover in time for the tournament due to a left quadriceps strain he sustained during a match against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. This injury had already caused him to miss the Asia Cup final.
In his place, the experienced spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been selected. Ashwin made a strong comeback to One Day International (ODI) cricket in the recent series against Australia, where he took four wickets in two matches.
🚨 BREAKING: India make late change to #CWC23 squad with all-rounder set to miss out due to injury!
Details 👇https://t.co/oa6htByQmz
— ICC (@ICC) September 28, 2023
Axar Patel had been conditionally named in the squad for the final ODI match, pending his fitness, but he ended up missing that game, which India lost by 66 runs in Rajkot. India is now counting on Ashwin’s experience to fill the gap left by Axar.
Additionally, Ashwin adds an off-spinning option to India’s World Cup squad, which was previously lacking, and this could be crucial as the tournament progresses and pitches become more challenging.
