They say you don't change a winning combination. Certainly not one which has won 10 games in a row. Most definitely not for the final of the ODI World Cup. But recent history, playing conditions and the unparalleled calibre of ace India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin might tempt captain Rohit Sharma to opt for him in the playing XI against Australia in the clash for the crown of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. (Match Blog | Scorecard | Streaming | Preview | Key Battles)
India's pace battery of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj has bowled with fire and fury and not allowed any opposition to breathe easy in the tournament. Left-arm spin twins Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja have done a fabulous job to boot. But with the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad expected to be on the slower side - something which Rohit alluded to in the pre-match presser - there might be scope for Ashwin too.
The final will be played on the same surface that was used for the big-ticket India vs Pakistan group-stage encounter on October 14. Though it's been over a month and the pitch has been sufficiently watered and rolled since, the inherent sluggishness of the track might come to the fore in the title duel.
Add to that the fact that Ashwin has had a stranglehold on top Aussie batters in the recent past. The 37-year-old troubled the Australian batting line-up in India's opening World Cup game, returning parsimonious figures of 10-1-34-1. He picked up the scalp of Cameron Green then, but has had the wood on veteran opener David Warner, who was compelled to bat right-handed against him in the ODI series preceding the World Cup but still fell leg before to Ashwin. Middle-order titans Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith too have struggled against Ashwin across formats recently.
Perhaps equally importantly, Ashwin already has a strong performance in an ODI World Cup knock-out game against Australia at the same venue to his name. He was part of India's victorious 2011 campaign at home, and played a key role in the quarter-final against the Aussies in Ahmedabad. Ashwin bowled with the new ball and cleaned up opener Shane Watson, before having captain Ricky Ponting caught at short third.
It remains to be seen what team combination India choose to go with, but if Ashwin does end up playing, expect some fireworks as the fiesty offie would no doubt try to get under the skin of the Aussies.
