Ash win can complete the promotion jigsaw
RAVI Ashwin isn’t the man who will get Worcestershire promoted but he could provide the final touches to their bid to go up to Division One according to director of cricket Steve Rhodes.
Currently second in Division Two with four games remaining, Worcester are well-placed to join Nottinghamshire in the top flight next season, and bringing in the reigning ICC World and Test Player of the Year will certainly help their cause.
Replacing John Hastings, who has had to return to Australia to nurse a stress fracture in his foot, Ashwin will be under pressure to bring the form he has shown recently in Sri Lanka to New Road.
In that three-Test series he took 17 wickets while also chipping in with 132 runs at an average of 44, as he cemented his place as one of the world’s leading allrounders – he is currently third in the ICC rankings, one place ahead of new teammate Moeen Ali.
And Rhodes is adamant that bringing in a player of Ashwin’s calibre is a statement of the ambition shown by the county.
He said:“We want to go up. I’m hoping our members and supporters, and I’m sure they do, recognise the ambition we are showing with this move.
“We want to play in Division One and hopefully he can help with that. If we go up, Ravi won’t be the main reason, but he could be the icing on the cake.
“He’s human and there will be a lot of pressure on him to perform. Even for the best players in the world that is difficult to deal with.
“The lucky thing is that he’s not just a top-quality spin bowler, he’s a wonderful batsman who can score runs in addition to his bowling.
“We have been searching since we knew John Hastings was having to cut short his trip.We got quite lucky with it and he showed an interest in coming over. India were happy to release him and it’s worked out well for both sides.”
Ashwin’s arrival in Division Two could be the first of a rush of Indians coming over, looking to acclimatise to English conditions ahead of next year’s tour.
Cheteshwar Pujara is expected to return to Trent Bridge, having spent time there earlier this summer, while Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja are also expected to head for the UK before the season is up.
That has given some counties a golden opportunity to boost their ranks heading into the final weeks and Rhodes admits the timing couldn’t have been better, with Ashwin due to make his debut against Gloucestershire at the end of the month, provided there are no hitches with his visa application.
Rhodes added: “The ball seems to have fallen in the right place for us.
“Of course we weren’t lucky to lose John Hastings, but given when his injury happened, we had a spot available and he was keen to come over.
“The good thing about Ravi is he has been successful on all types of pitches in all sorts of different continents. He is a class bowler who will bowl well here.”