If anything, Ravichandran Ashwin must be quite bewildered that he is so much in the news in the past few days without having bowled a ball in a World Cup game! He might yet do that on Sunday when India take on the West Indies at Chepauk, Ashwin’s home territory.

If reports are to be believed, then the selectors have made it known to Dhoni that it was time Ashwin played and the fact that India are to play on Ashwin’s home turf, it would seem inevitable that the off-spinner will finally get a look in on Sunday.

After the England win last night against the West Indies, India are still on thin ice vis-a-vis the knock-out stage, for if Bangladesh beat the South Africans on Saturday, then it will provide another twist to the intriguing situation.

In the event, the pressure is on Dhoni to include Ashwin if he were to opt for two spinners and two seamers for Sunday’s game, but then, it is a decision that could be influenced by the result of the South Africa-Bangladesh game in Mirpur on Saturday.

Much of Thursday evening when England were battling the odds against the Windies, the media box at Chepauk was afloat with rumours of a ’dressing down’ Dhoni was said to have received, though from whom is anybody’s guess.

The BCCI has since issued a strong denial that any such ’meeting’ took place at all, much less Dhoni being pulled up.

The point is that we are forced to speculate on such issues in the absence of a professional communication flow between the Indian team and the media. There is so much secrecy and whispering that we tend to mistake shadows for ghosts. However, I have always believed, especially in the case of Indian cricket, there can be no smoke without fire.

Whatever, it is more than likely that the Indians would be watching the Mirpur game with more than cursory interest. From India’s point of view, a South African win would be most welcome as it would confirm a berth in the knock-out phase. Otherwise India should either beat the West Indies or not lose by a massive margin on Sunday to preclude elimination at the cost of England on Net Run Rate.

Reverting to the curious case of Ashwin, I am sure, he is champing at the bit. When given an opportunity, the offie has shown a big heart in bowling during the batting Power Plays or even with the new ball first up. And surely, there is nothing wrong if India opt for two off-spinners along with three seamers (Zaheer, Nehra and Munaf) instead of two. However, it is still a tough call that could go either way.

If the move to go with a three-plus-two combo clicks, then it would be hailed as Dhoni’s masterstroke and should it fail, then all hell will break loose. Either way, it will be a gamble, but like Strauss did on Thursday, it is worth the effort to roll the dice since the gains outweigh the losses.

So what about young Chawla? He was included in the squad on the insistence of Dhoni, or so we are given to understand, although the selectors were not too hot on the choice. It is pointless to dwell on this, but the fact is that Chawla cannot complain of lack of chances to justify his inclusion and has not really performed to expectations.

Chawla has played three matches and taken as many wickets, but none against Ireland in eight overs. His 10 overs against England cost 71 runs for two wickets and he had 2 for 47 versus the Netherlands. Strangely, despite being touted as a frontline spinner, he was not picked for the Bangladesh and South Africa games with Dhoni opting for three seamers and Harbhajan as the sole specialist spinner.

I am sure, Ashwin can do no worse than Chawla and so, all the more reason why the offie should be included on Sunday. It is better to try than to sit back and speculate.

In these days of non-stop cricket and competition for team spots, opportunity equates to two or three matches, unlike in the past when players were given a couple of seasons, yes, seasons, to mature into a thoroughbred international cricketer. Now, you have to turn it on at the press of the button. Like it or not, that is ground reality.

Chawla has had his chances and it is time to give the Indian team a fresh look and a new spin.

-Sify

Ravichandran Ashwin