Gautam Gambhir calls for Ashwin to bat at number four in ODIs Ashwin last played limited-overs cricket for India back in June 2017. Ravichandran Ashwin is undoubtedly one of the most skilled spinners India have ever produced. However, he only plays Test cricket for the last one year owing to the emergence of the wrist-spin twin Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, who have cemented their spot in the limited-overs squads. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer last played an ODI back in June 2017 when the Men in Blue toured the West Indies. Virat Kohli and his troops are currently in England for a three-match ODI series. While Ashwin isn’t a part of that squad, he is most certainly going to return in the upcoming Test series, which gets underway on August 1 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Apart from his wily prowess with the red ball, he is also more than a handy batsman with as many as four Test centuries under his belt. It gives you a sixth bowling option Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir, former Indian opener-turned cricket analyst, mentioned that the 31-year-old should be drafted into the ODI playing eleven. Moreover, he called for the bowling all-rounder to bat at number four and also backed his words with an explanation. According to Gambhir, in that scenario, India will have three quality spinners as they have Chahal and Kuldeep already in the squad. “I’ll probably back Ashwin to play and Hardik to bat at six if given that responsibility. Ashwin can bat at seven or four as well. KL Rahul can bat at five and Dhoni at six and maybe Hardik at seven as well. You’ve got three quality spinners for that matter. You’ve got Ashwin, Kuldeep, and Chahal as well. Maybe Ashwin or Jadeja can be given the responsibility to bat at four,” Gambhir said while talking on Cricbuzz Live. “Someone batting at four will be an accumulator as well. He’s not someone who’ll give you a 60-ball or a 70-ball hundred. Even if he chips in with 30 to 40 runs at run-a-ball then you’ve got the firepower with Hardik, Rahul, and MS Dhoni to come as the finisher as well. It gives you a sixth bowling option and you’ve got a proper quality attack,” the Delhi-born cricketer added. [interaction id=”5b49b72a77f0ecae2257aedc”] For more news and developments, stay tuned on CricTracker.com.<doc-sep>Gautam Gambhir wants Ravichandran Ashwin to make a comeback in ODI side Gautam Gambhir has expressed his opinion on India’s No. 4 position which has been a concern since very long. With the big World Cup in less than a year India is trying out various options that fit in the spot. So far India have tried Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Ajinkya Rahane and now KL Rahul. However, Gambhir feels Ravichandran Ashwin would be a perfect fit for the role. Probably back R Ashwin to play (the all-round role). Him, KL Rahul and MS Dhoni can play at various positions in the lower middle order, Gambir said to cricbuzz. Ashwin last played ODI in June 2017 while his spin partner Ravindra Jadeja played his last ODI in July the same year. Their spot has now been taken by Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. However, with Ashwin and Jadeja India had the luxury of a deep batting line-up. Ashwin or Jadeja, give them the responsibility to bat at 4 and maybe KL can come at 5 and Virat can bat at 3. A person batting at No. 4 will be accumulated as well, it’s not someone who’s going to give you 60/70-ball hundred. If he ends up chipping in with 30,40 or 50 runs at a-run-a-ball, you’ve got the firepower with KL, Hardik and MS coming in as finishers. It gives you that 6th bowling option as well along with a proper quality attack, Gambhir added. Gambhir even talked about Krunal Pandya who has shown promising performances in Indian Premier League in past years. He was even selected for the T20I series against England replacing Washington Sundar but did not get a place in the playing XI. Not a bad option too. Give him the opportunity to bat at No. 4 and see how many can he deliver. I am sure he could be a proper 6th bowler option in a wicket like Lord’s or Nottingham where he can chip in with 5 or 6 overs. If someone has got a bad day, you’ve got the luxury of another left-arm spinner.” If India are to experiment on something, they should try with six bowlers and see where it’s going. Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri keep talking about experimentation and I believe that’s the best way if you want to experiment. I think we keep talking about individuals, batting positions but I think it’s more to do with the combinations. If experimentation has to happen, it should be from the combination point of view, Gambhir concluded.<doc-sep>
What's the story? The Indian cricket team have been facing the problem of who to bat at no. 4. Over the past few years, they have tried out over 10 batsmen at that position. Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir felt that the Men in Blue could even try out Ravichandran Ashwin at that position. “I’ll probably back Ashwin to play and Hardik to bat at six if given that responsibility. Ashwin can bat at seven or four as well. KL Rahul can bat at five and Dhoni at six and maybe Hardik at seven as well. You’ve got three quality spinners for that matter. You’ve got Ashwin, Kuldeep, and Chahal as well. Maybe Ashwin or Jadeja can be given the responsibility to bat at four,” Gambhir said while speaking to Cricbuzz. In case you didn't know... With India taking on England in the ODI series, KL Rahul has been tried out at the no. 4 spot in the first two ODIs. While he did not have much to do in the first ODI, he failed in the second match as he was dismissed for a duck. The details Gambhir felt that with Ashwin batting at no. 4, the team should not expect him to score a quick hundred but he should chip in with 30-40 runs in the middle order. “Someone batting at four will be an accumulator as well. He’s not someone who’ll give you a 60-ball or a 70-ball hundred. Even if he chips in with 30 to 40 runs at run-a-ball then you’ve got the firepower with Hardik, Rahul, and MS Dhoni to come as the finisher as well. It gives you a sixth bowling option and you’ve got a proper quality attack," he said. What's next? India and England are tied one match apiece in the ongoing ODI series being held in England. The final ODI will take place on July 17 at Headingley, Leeds.