Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has revealed that it was Virat Kohli who wanted senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to be a part of India’s white-ball squad for the ICC World T20 2021. Veteran bowler Ashwin donned India’s iconic blue jersey for the first time in four years when Virat Kohli & Co. squared off against Afghanistan at the ICC World T20 2021.
The wily spinner had taken a back seat when Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav burst on the scene to become India’s two frontline spin options in 2017. Though Ashwin fell out of favour in 2017, the senior spinner remained keen on cementing his status as India’s finest spinner in the longest and format of the game. The 35-year-old not only peaked as a Test spinner at the time but the veteran all-rounder also raised his stocks in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Speaking on the chat show ‘Backstage with Boria’, the BCCI president revealed that he wasn’t sure whether Ashwin can feature for Team India in the white-ball format after 2017. Ganguly lauded Ashwin for making the most of the opportunity after his return to white-ball cricket in the international arena. “I wasn’t sure whether he would be part of the white-ball team again. But then Virat Kohli wanted him to be part of the World Cup. And, whatever little bit of opportunity he got, I thought he was superb,” Ganguly said.
Ashwin bagged three wickets in the T20 World Cup and the spinner also inspired India to a series win over New Zealand under the leadership of white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid. Newly appointed white-ball captain Rohit had also backed Ashwin to remain a crucial part of the Indian limited-overs side after the World Cup.
“Everybody speaks about him. Look at Rahul Dravid’s statement after the (Kanpur) Test match – he called him an all-time great. You don’t need rocket science to judge Ashwin’s talent. My appreciation just comes from what I see. It may be Ashwin, it may be (Shreyas) Iyer, it may be Rohit (Sharma), it may be Virat (Kohli),” Ganguly added.
