Australia recall ‘Ashwin duplicate’ Mahesh Pithiya before ODI World Cup, Baroda spinner declines offer

Baroda off-spinner Mahesh Pithiya was working closely with the Australian team in the last edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has a similar bowling action to that of Ravichandran Ashwin and hence, the idea was to bring him on board to learn how to tackle the legendary Indian spinner. However, Australia failed to find success in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as Ashwin finished as the leading wicket-taker.

Meanwhile, ahead of the upcoming ODI World Cup, which is slated to begin on October 5, the Australian team management asked Pithiya to rejoin the squad before their crucial match against the hosts on October 8. However, after consulting with Baroda bowling coach S Aravind, the 21-year-old turned down the offer and informed that he wants to focus more on the domestic season rather than other commitments.

“It was certainly an exciting offer, but then, I am also part of the Baroda set-up for the domestic season that begins next month. So, I thought about it, spoke to our coach and informed them that it won’t be possible for me to join the camp this time around,” Pithiya told Sportstar.

Pithiya also clarified that he was not a part of the plans but as soon BCCI announced Ravichandran Ashwin’s name for the ODI World Cup, he was given the offer to join the squad by October 4 in Chennai.

“As soon as the BCCI announced Ashwin as the replacement for Axar, I got the call. It is always exciting to work with international teams, but my priority is domestic cricket. I have come so far because of playing for Baroda and ahead of a long season, I thought I should focus on my game and not join the Australian team,” the youngster added.

On the other hand, Australia’s first warm-up game against the Netherlands was called off due to rain. However, the likes of Steven Smith and Cameron Green showed promise with the bat while Mitchell Starc picked up an incredible hat-trick before rain played a spoilsport.