R Ashwin has been rewarded for reviving his white-ball skills: Virat Kohli

Of the 15-member squad announced by the BCCI selection panel for the ICC T20 World Cup, the onlookers, experts, and fans of the game were surprised to see the name of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the list. Surprised because he last played a T20I game in 2017 and since then, he was mostly seen playing Test cricket. Although he didn’t play for the national team in the white-ball formats, he still was a pivotal member for his state side Tamil Nadu in the limited-overs setup.

During this time, he was also a regular member playing IPL for Delhi Capitals. Considering all these factors and the plethora of experience he brings to the table, the BCCI selectors named him in the 15-member squad for the global event. India skipper Virat Kohli spoke about Ashwin’s call-up in T20Is and said he was rewarded for improving his skills in the white-ball game.

“Ashwin has been rewarded for reviving his white-ball skills altogether. He bowls with a lot of courage in white-ball cricket,” Kohli said during a media interaction organized by the ICC. Virat Kohli further opined that Ashwin has improved as a bowler by bringing in more control and variations, which could come in handy during the slow and low UAE conditions.

“If you saw the IPL in the last couple of years, he’s bowled difficult overs, he’s bowled against the top players in the IPL, and not being shy to put the ball in the right areas. Spinners can get intimidated by the way power hitters hit the ball, but Ashwin believed in his skill set.

“We felt like the way he was bowling and his variations now and his control over pace is something which is… again a lot of experience, a guy who has played a lot of international cricket and he’s at his confident best. These guys can go in there and change the game with their spells,” Kohli added.

Finger spinners bring in more accuracy: Virat Kohli

Interestingly, Ashwin went out of favor in the limited-overs format because the management preferred wrist spinners like Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav in the team. But now the tables have turned and finger spinners like Ashwin and Jadeja are back in demand. Kohli believes it is because these bowlers bring in a lot more accuracy in the middle overs. The India skipper also said Ashwin and Jadeja are also consistent performers.

“Wrist spinners were the ones in demand, mostly through that middle period, but now the finger spinners with that accuracy have come back into the game again, so we also have to evolve as a team with the evolving trend of the game. With Ash and the likes of Ravindra Jadeja as well, performing beautifully. These guys can be very consistent,” Kohli concluded.