'I think it is a great option' - Brad Hogg suggests Ravichandran Ashwin's comeback in ODI squad

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has suggested the return of the Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the ODI team. The Tamil Nadu spinner has not played any ODI cricket since 2017. He was dropped from the team after the side’s loss in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy against Pakistan. 

After that tournament, India went for a different approach in white-ball cricket. The Virat Kohli led team opted for a more aggressive option of having two leg-spinners in the side instead of the off-spinners. However, the recent form of Ashwin in Test cricket has reignited the talks of his comeback. 

The former Aussie bowler was taking questions from his fans on Twitter when someone asked him whether he thought Ashwin should be back in the white-ball setup. Hogg revealed that would be a good option as he provides depth to the batting as well, something which Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav can’t. 

Get Ravichandran Ashwin back in: Brad Hogg 

“I think it is a great option, gives the batting line up extra depth allowing the top order to be more aggressive at the top and he is a wicket-taking option with the ball, as well as economical. Get him back in,” said Hogg on Twitter. 

Ravichandran Ashwin’s batting has got highlighted in recent times with him scoring his fifth Test century against England, a few days back in Chennai during the ongoing series. Ashwin also has great ODI numbers which support his comeback in the white-ball set-up. He has taken 150 wickets from 111 ODIs with an economy of 4.92 and an average of 32.91. 

In the ongoing series, Ashwin has also taken 24 wickets from three matches. During the series, he also reached 400 Test wickets in his 77th Test, making him the second-fastest to reach the landmark. The 35-year-old has also been quite effective in the IPL 2020, where he has picked up 13 wickets from 15 matches, with a good economy rate. 

Interestingly, Ravichandran has also a good record in T20Is. In 48 T20Is, he picked up 52 wickets with an economy of 6.98 and an average of 22.94. Given his track record and ability to bat, he is a good option in the line-up as it would give more freedom to the batting unit.