India's spin wizard Ravichandran Ashwin has achieved remarkable success in Test cricket with his extraordinary ability to take wickets. However, opinions vary regarding his role in white-ball cricket, with some doubting his suitability in this format. Despite enjoying a mixed career in ODIs and T20Is, Ashwin has been a part of numerous World Cup editions in both formats. Meanwhile, India's World Cup champion Yuvraj Singh expressed his views on Ashwin's white-ball career, stating that the seasoned spinner doesn't merit a spot in India's T20I and ODI teams.
Yuvraj did acknowledge Ashwin's prowess in Test cricket but pointed out that his skills may not align with the demands of the limited-overs formats. Yuvraj appreciates Ashwin as a talented bowler but notes that he lacks significant contributions with the bat and in the field in white-ball cricket.
"Ashwin is a great bowler but I don't think he deserves a place in ODIs and T20s. He is very good with the ball, but what does he bring with the bat? Or as a fielder? In the Test team, yes, he should be there. But in white-ball cricket, I don't think he deserves a place," Yuvraj told Times of India.
Yuvraj and Ashwin were both integral members of India's 2011 ODI World Cup-winning team. Ashwin has frequently acknowledged Yuvraj's massive impact on Indian cricket, particularly in light of the health challenges the former all-rounder faced.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin shared his astonishment upon discovering Yuvraj's cancer diagnosis.
"Yuvi used to cough, and he used to cough vehemently. I used to think that it is the pressure of the game and he is coughing it off and he used to cough in the middle. Literally, nobody had any idea, at least from the junior segment of the team that he was suffering from a serious illness," Ashwin had said.
"When it broke out (the news of Yuvraj having cancer), I was shocked because I did not expect somebody who had just become Player of the series, in fact like I would say, 'Bharat ka Icon'. That literally was it. I think Sachin Tendulkar played an unbelievably big role in that Yuvraj Singh's World Cup. I call it the Yuvraj Singh's World Cup because you name it, he was there in that situation in the centre," Ashwin added.
Earlier, Yuvraj gave his two cent on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's return to T20I set-up. India's legendary batter finds no issue with Rohit and Virat rejoining the T20 team after a 14-month break, especially with the upcoming T20 World Cup in sight. Both players were selected for the current three-match T20 series against Afghanistan, which is India's final international fixture before the World Cup set to take place in the USA and the Caribbean.
Their inclusion sparked a debate about whether it was a step forward for the team. Yuvraj, unimpressed by the controversy surrounding their return, downplayed it by quoting lyrics from a famous song by Kishore Kumar: "Kuchh toh log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna. It's because they play all the three formats, they are back after 14 months. You have to manage your workload if you play the three formats. It's a question for the selectors," Yuvraj said during an event.
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