After impressing one and all on his T20I comeback in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 after a gap of four years, veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was recalled into the ODI setup as well for the South Africa series. However, the 35-year old had below-par outings in the two games he played as he returned with the figures of 1/53 and 0/68. The Indian bowlers failed to contain the Proteas batsman as the hosts completed a 3-0 whitewash in the 50-over format.
Ashwin was replaced by fellow offie Jayant Yadav in the third and the final match of the series in Cape Town, but he too went wicketless as South Africa riding on Quinton de Kock’s century posted a total of 287 runs, which proved to be just enough in the end as they overcame Deepak Chahar’s quickfire fifty to win a thriller by four runs.
Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar criticised Ashwin’s return to the ODI side saying he didn’t understand the reason for it in the first place while adding that Chahar’s all-round show might have made Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s life difficult.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar said, “Ashwin strangely came back into India’s ODI plans for some reason. India paid a price for that. He played the two crucial games, did nothing much. (Yuzvendra) Chahal also under the scanner. Prasidh Krishna needs to be backed a bit more. Also, in 50-overs, Mohammed Shami can be a good option.
“Bowling wise, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had given signs even before this series that he is finding it difficult to get back to his best. I guess that issue is closed after seeing his performance in the series. And Deepak Chahar, the one ball to get Janneman Malan, should tell selectors that he is a better option,” he further added.
The Men in Blue, who were favourites to win both the Test and the ODI series ended up losing both as the tour proved to be a nightmare for India.
“The way the match ended sums up the whole trip for India. It has to be one of the poorest Indian tours to South Africa. That’s how it was destined to be. It just wasn’t India’s time in South Africa. It is a bad loss,” Manjrekar said.
