World Cup 2023: Ashwin or Shardul - India’s No. 8 question hots up during first practice session in Guwahati

What was not at all surprising was Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur being among the four India players who turned up for the optional session at Amingaon Cricket Ground on Friday.

India’s R. Ashwin in net practice ahead of the warm-up match against England in Guwahati. | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR/ THE HINDU

Till last week, aficionados and connoisseurs alike, were busy discussing whether Axar Patel was better suited to be India’s No. 8 in the forthcoming Men’s Cricket World Cup or would Shardul Thakur be more useful in the same role.

The personnel may have changed but the debate rages on. From the Indian management perspective, however, the option is simple. Or so it looked during India’s first official nets session, albeit optional, for the World Cup.

Considering the travel and workload that the team has been through over the last month and lying ahead for the next two, it wasn’t surprising that only four players joined the support staff entourage for a practice session at the Amingaon Cricket Ground, on the outskirts of the city.

What was not at all surprising was Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur being among them. The duo had an extensive batting and bowling workout under a scorching sun on Friday afternoon, ahead of India’s warm-up tie against England on Saturday.

After the warm-up drills, Shardul headed to the centre of the ground, bowling to Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan for a long time. Ashwin, meanwhile, walked to the nets behind the pavilion and batted for well over 45 minutes.

Not only did Ashwin practice sweep shots frequently on Friday, but even tried out reverse-sweep, connecting the shot more often than not | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR

Batting against spin, not only did Ashwin practice sweep shots frequently but even tried out reverse-sweep, connecting the shot more often than not. Later on, with Shardul having taken a break, Ashwin walked onto the centre pitch, facing India’s throwdown specialist trio for a second stint.

Both Ashwin and Shardul batted in tandem for a while. Even after Shardul was done with his stint, Ashwin changed his gears and bowled for half an hour under the watchful eyes of bowling coach Paras Mhambrey.

The training session was a clear giveaway that Shardul and Ashwin will carry on the Indian team management’s quest for finding the right balance, irrespective of the conditions and the opposition. In all likelihood, one of the two will feature at No. 8 in India’s batting order.

In fact, bringing Ashwin into the scheme of things may have been a well-planned move by the management. The injury to Axar may have resulted in making Ashwin’s inclusion smoother. Captain Rohit Sharma had stated just after the Asia Cup final that he was in constant touch with the veteran offie.

Ashwin may have hardly played any ODIs ever since the 2017 Champions Trophy, when the Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri combine decided to adopt the wrist-spin mantra. But his inclusion may make selection matters even more interesting.

With Axar, he was always going to be a backup spin option to Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. But Ashwin, the offspinner, can be as potent as any other spinner in the world. As a result, choosing two between Kuldeep, Jadeja and Ashwin will be much more challenging for the management.

Can the Ashwin experiment work? Or will Shardul continue to be India’s primary No. 8? We will know it in Chennai in little over a week from now.