R Ashwin is an asset for the team, his IPL performance has earned him a place in the World Cup squad: Chetan Sharma

In the headlines recently over constant non-selection during India’s tour of England, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin suddenly finds himself hogging the spotlight for reasons entirely antonymic, as he was named in the 15-member T20 World Cup 2021 squad announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on September 8.

Ashwin last donned the coloured India shirt in 2017 against West Indies before falling out of favour from India’s limited-overs setup owing to the rise of spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav and later Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Rahul Chahar. As fate would have it, spin twins Chahal and Kuldeep have not managed to find a spot for themselves for the upcoming edition, while Sundar stands ruled out, having injured his finger during a three-day warm-up fixture on England tour.

While he has been an active participant in the Indian Premier League, he never quite managed to find himself in the reckoning of India’s limited-overs setup. On September 8, Team India chief selector Chetan Sharma admitted that decent performances during the IPL led to his selection for the multi-team tournament.

He has performed well in the IPL, that is why he has found a place for himself in the squad: Chetan Sharma

“Ravichandran Ashwin has been playing in the IPL regularly. He has performed well there. When you go into the World Cup, you need an off-spinner, everyone has an idea that the wickets in the UAE will get slower as IPL will also be played there. Spinners will get assistance so having an off-spinner holds the key. Washington Sundar is injured and Ashwin is an asset for the team. He has performed well in the IPL so that is why he has found a place for himself in the squad,” Chetan Sharma said on September 8.

When asked how much role IPL played in selecting the team, he said: “IPL is a big tournament where the best players around the world play. So you come to know about the performance of a player. The standbys have been picked keeping in mind that the players can get injured.”