Asia Cup 2023: Angry Ravichandran Ashwin Blasts Those 'Degrading' India Players, Blames 'IPL Warfare'

23.08.2023 - 03:27 sports.ndtv.com

With the announcement of India's Asia Cup 2023 squad, there have been debates ranging in social media on whether it is a good squad.

While most expected names got a call-up, a couple of them missed the berth. India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who is not part of the squad, is irritated at such discussions.

Ashwin talked about two players who were selected in the Asia Cup squad to drill home the point. One among them is Tilak Varma, who is yet to play an ODI, while the other is Suryakumar Yada, whose ODI form has been very bad, a fact accepted by the player himself. "Tilak hasn't scored much in this Ireland series so far.

But he is showing unreal intent from the first ball. And this youngsters is coming to bat with a clear mind. Since he is bringing some freshness into the squad, they have backed him for that backup slot.

cricket India Cricket Team BCCI World Cup 2023 cup Ravichandran Ashwin Suryakumar Yadav Tilak Varma Ireland India

The Indian cricket team will play their opening match of Asia Cup 2023 against Pakistan on Saturday but the speculations regarding the team composition are still dominating headlines. With KL Rahul out of contention for the first two games and Shreyas Iyer coming back from injury, the debate over how the batting line-up will look like has reared its head once again. While both head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma has downplayed the discussions, the fact that these questions exist just one day ahead of the match is surely a worry for a side that will enter ICC World Cup 2023 as a top contender.

'Tiger Ka Hukum' Performers: Ashwin Brings Rajinikanth Touch To Praise Two Asia Cup 2023 Stars

The Asia Cup 2023 is already underway, with four teams already playing a match each. While India and Pakistan are the heavyweights and favourites to reach the final, the other teams are no pushovers. Afghanistan cane be the dark horse in the tournament. In the last few years they have shown the capability to shine against more fancied opponents. India cricket team star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised their team. To add to that, he compared two of Afghanistan stars with Rajinikanth's character in the movie 'Jailer'

Asia Cup 2023: R Ashwin Finds "Even More Bizarre" Point In Pakistan Star Mohammad Rizwan's Strange Run Out vs Nepal

The Asia Cup 2023 got off to a cracking start with Nepal bowlers giving Pakistan batters a run for their money in the opening match in Multan on Wednesday. Pakistan were two down inside the first seven overs with only 25 runs on board. Then experienced duo Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan stitched a steady stand as Pakistan looked like heading towards a good score. Just then, with Rizwan batting on 44, the wicketkeeper-batter got run out in a strange fashion.

"If Babar And Rizwan Fire...": R Ashwin's Firm Warning To India, Other Asia Cup Sides

As the Asia Cup 2023 begins, it's the India and Pakistan teams that are being considered the 'favourites' for the title. Though it was the Sri Lankan team that won the title last time around (in the T20 version of the tournament), India and Pakistan are being seen as the two outright favourites. While the Indian team has won the tournament, in the ODI version, the most number of times, Pakistan have really pulled their socks up in the last few years. Veteran Indian spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, in his preview for the Asia Cup 2023, tried to decode the rise of the Paksitan team over the last 5-6 years, and what makes them favourites this year, alongside the Indian team.

Huge Update On KL Rahul's Fitness Ahead Of Asia Cup 2023 Clash Against Pakistan

There were several questions over KL Rahul's fitness following his Asia Cup 2023 selection as chief selector Ajit Agarkar told the media that he was suffering from a slight niggle. The call-up for the continental tournament was a big deal for the batter after a prolonged battle with injury but the update along with the inclusion of Sanju Samson as a back-up did not alleviate the fears. However, there was some good news for cricket fans as Rahul did wicket-keeping practice where he was helped by skipper Rohit Sharma at the ongoing practice camp in Alur, Karnataka.

On India's Asia Cup Squad, Ex-Pakistan Star Points Out "Unfair" Selection

The Asia Cup 2023 is all set to kick off on August 30. India have already annouced the squad for the continental event. The 17-member team, excluding reserve Sanju Samson, picked by the selection committee was much-awaited as more or less this squad will only feature in the ODI World Cup 2023 that is set to take place in October-November in India. The selection of young batter Tilak Varma, who recently made his India debut and the axing of spinner Yuzvendra Chahal were the highlights of the squad picked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.