“Virat Kohli wanted Ravichandran Ashwin in T20 World Cup squad,” reveals BCCI president Sourav Ganguly

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has confirmed that the former Indian T20I captain Virat Kohli wanted Ravichandran Ashwin in the T20 World Cup squad, and it was not him who pushed for his selection in the squad. Recently, Ganguly was in a conversation with the journalist Boria Majumdar where he was asked if he had any role to play in Ashwin’s comeback to India’s white-ball sides, to which Ganguly answered no.

Ganguly stressed the fact that Ashwin, in his opinion, is a fabulous white-ball bowler and has won tournaments, not just for India, but for CSK as well, but it was Virat Kohli who had suggested Ashwin’s inclusion in the World Cup squad.

Since Virat Kohli was the captain who had dropped Ravichandran Ashwin from India’s white-ball squads after India’s defeat in the Champions Trophy 2017 final against Pakistan, it was perceived that the BCCI president himself pushed for Ashwin’s comeback and Virat was still not in favour of his selection for the recent T20 World Cup in the UAE.

However, Ganguly has cleared the air that Virat wanted Ashwin himself. It’s, however, interesting that despite Ashwin getting picked in the T20 World Cup squad apparently on Virat’s insistence, he was not selected in India’s playing XI for the first two games, which eventually turned out to be the most important two games for India.

India went with the mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja for the games against Pakistan and New Zealand and Ashwin was given the playing opportunity only when India were on the brink of elimination, having lost two games.

Backstage with Boria with @SGanguly99 this Thursday. Here is the second promo clip and this one is on @ashwinravi99 By the way I think he should be a serious contender for vice captaincy. Look at his record, his game reading is excellent. In aus he was one of our leaders. #BWB pic.twitter.com/eEj8hwu1Hv

— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) December 14, 2021

Ravichandran Ashwin recently played all 3 T20I matches in the series against New Zealand

Ashwin was, however, picked in the squad again for New Zealand T20Is where he played from the first game itself under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma and proved to be the most effective spinner in the entire series, bowling under some tough conditions.

Rohit Sharma has already heaped praises on Ashwin as a white-ball bowler, and it shouldn’t be a surprise for anyone if Ashwin’s leads India’s spin attack in the next two World Cups.