Ashwin has expressed his concerns about India’s decision to take five spinners to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. With Jasprit Bumrah ruled out, the BCCI made changes to the original squad, bringing in Harshit Rana as his replacement.
Another adjustment saw Yashasvi Jaiswal being dropped in favor of the in-form Varun Chakravarthy, who made his debut against England in the Cuttack ODI. As a result, India now has Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav in the squad for the tournament. Ashwin questioned why India needed to take five spinners to Dubai.
“I’m not sure I understand why we’re taking so many spinners to Dubai. Five spinners, and we’ve left out Yashasvi Jaiswal. Typically, we take about three or four spinners on a tour, but five for Dubai seems excessive,” Ashwin said.
He continued, “In my opinion, we might have one spinner too many, if not two. The two left-arm spinners, Axar and Jadeja, are your top all-rounders alongside Hardik Pandya. So both Axar and Jadeja will play, and Hardik will also feature. Kuldeep is going to be in the team as well. If you want Varun Chakravarthy in the side, someone has to make way, and you might need to use Hardik as a second pacer. Otherwise, a spinner will need to be dropped to accommodate a third seamer.”
Ashwin added that Kuldeep Yadav’s place in the playing XI is almost certain, making Varun’s inclusion more challenging. He also questioned if the team expected the pitch to offer significant turn in Dubai.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that Kuldeep will be part of the team, so how do you fit Varun in? He’s bowling well, but if you want both Varun and Kuldeep, that could work as a combination,” Ashwin said.
“But my concern is, are they expecting the pitch to turn a lot in Dubai? I’m not entirely comfortable with the team balance at the moment,” Ashwin concluded.
All of India’s matches will be played in Dubai, starting with their opening game against Bangladesh on February 20.