Ashwin for Cup

Bengaluru: Former opener Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday backed Ravichandran Ashwin’s return to the ODI squad ahead of the World Cup, saying a fingerspinner like him could be as effective as a wrist-spinner in English conditions. Ashwin last played for India in coloured clothing in July 2017. Wrist-spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have since then become frontline spinners for India in limited overs format. While Ravendra Jadeja has managed to make a comeback in the shorter formats, Ashwin has not. “Both wrist-spinners (Kuldeep and Chahal) have done well in the last one year. But I still feel that Ashwin is somebody we should look at. I’ve always believed that a quality spinner is a quality spinner — irrespective of whether he is a wrist-spinner or a finger-spinner,” said Gambhir. Gambhir cited the example of premier Australia tweaker Nathan Lyon, who recently made an ODI comeback following his stellar performances in the longest format. “He (Lyon) is probably the best offspinner in the world and he’s a finger-spinner. I feel that we should not differentiate because there’s a wrist-spinner and so there’s no space for a fingerspinner. “I think Ashwin is someone who we should always consider because we are looking at conditions in England during that time of the year. Wickets could be flat and worn out. So a finger-spinner can be effective with the ball as well,” said Gambhir.