‘Ash Anna is back’ – Fans react as Indian squad for ODI series against Australia gets announced

The Indian team is all set to head into the World Cup 2023, which begins on the 5th of November. However, the Men in Blue have one last assignment before the marquee event, the ODI series against Australia. The squad for which has been announced by the Indian Cricket Board.

The Indian selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar announced the 14-man squad for the series. While it was expected that the Indian team would go with a full-strength squad, that was not the case for the first two ODIs. Some senior players, including captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and vice-captain Hardik Pandya have been rested for the first two games.

The biggest inclusion, however, has been that of veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. He has been included in the squad in place of Axar Patel, who sustained an injury during the Asia Cup 2023 clash against Bangladesh. Meanwhile, KL Rahul will lead the team in the absence of the regular captain and vice-captain.

Squad for the 1st two ODIs:

KL Rahul (C & WK), Ravindra Jadeja (Vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Sharma, Virat, and Hardik, however, will be back in the squad for the final ODI of the series. Many fans were not pleased with this decision to rest the senior players ahead of the World Cup just a few days away.

The series will be essential for the Men in Blue as the marquee event approaches. The Australians, who have come out with a full-strength squad, will be a formidable opponent, and how India fares remains to be seen.

Squad for the 3rd ODI:

Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya, (Vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel*, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj

Here is how Twitter reacted