"Not Biased But Gambhir...": Ashwin's Blunt Take On Champions Trophy Team

India's squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has triggered a few debates, with several former cricketers and pundits debating if the selection of players provides the team with the right balance. Ravichandran Ashwin, who recently retired from international cricket, feels the BCCI selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar could've added seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy to the roster, giving India the option of extending the batting line-up without compromising on bowlers.

The selection committee, however, only went ahead with Hardik Pandya as the pace-bowling all-rounder while three spin-bowling all-rounders - Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel - were added to the squad.

"Does it make sense to have a player like Nitish Reddy in the scheme of things? If Kuldeep plays at 9, it's two pacers and three spinners. With Nitish, he could bat at 8, allowing Kuldeep at 9 and two fast bowlers. This would provide the luxury of four fast bowlers and two spinners. I don't know if he was considered," Ashwin on his YouTube channel.

"Kuldeep is a lock at No. 9, as the primary spinner. Among the finger spinners, I think one fast bowler could have been accommodated. I'm sure there were discussions."

Ashwin also doesn't feel the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant would get into India's playing XI.

“Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill open, both right-handed. Then there's Virat Kohli. Shreyas Iyer likely bats at 4, given his strong performance in the World Cup. KL Rahul follows. At No. 6, it's a choice between Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Hardik occupies No. 7. We lack left-handed batters in the top seven. Outside the XI, we have Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant,” he explained.

Ashwin also feels Sundar has a high chance of breaking into the team's playing XI considering how highly head coach Gautam Gambhir values him, as a batter.

"Another scenario involves Washington Sundar. I'm not biased, but Gautam Gambhir highly values Washington due to his batting. He can also be used as a floater," Ashwin said.

Setting up his lower-order, Ashwin feels Washington Sundar should ideally bat at the No. 8 spot while Kuldeep Yadav should be accompanied by two pacers. But, striking that balance does seem difficult.

"If you follow the World Cup format, you play either Jaddu or Axar at No. 6, Hardik at 7, and Washington at 8. This allows for three fast bowlers or Kuldeep and two pacers, maintaining balance with Hardik's all-round skills," he said.

"If Washington bats at No. 7, it weakens the batting. Ideally, he should bat at 8.

"Washington Sundar at 8 might not be feasible if dew is a major factor. In that case, Kuldeep Yadav would bat at 8, and the team would likely go with all seamers - Arshdeep, Bumrah, and Shami," he said.

Ashwin also pointed out that India lacked depth in the batting line-up in the 2023 World Cup. In the Champions Trophy, they could face the same problem.

"In the 2023 World Cup, we lacked batting depth from No. 8 onwards. These are the crucial questions that need to be addressed," he concluded.