Veteran Indian wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik has been named the replacement for Ravichandran Ashwin in team India after the departure of off-spinner from international cricket. Karthik suggested that young off-spinner Washington Sundar could be the one to step into Ashwin’s role.
Ravichandran Ashwin has cemented his position as Team India’s top off-spinner after Harbhajan Singh. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer has showcased exceptional performances across all formats and has amassed over 100 Test matches for India. As the team plans for Ashwin’s future successor, they are currently in search of a spinner to assume his role.
Ashwin last appeared in an ODI during the 2023 World Cup against Australia and was not selected for the format thereafter. His most recent T20I was in the semifinal of the 2022 T20 World Cup against England. He is expected to be featured in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.
While talking to Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik said, “India are definitely looking for a next-gen off-spinner, as in last India ‘A’ series against England Lions, they tried three off-spinners in three matches: Pulkit Narang, Washington Sundar and Saransh Jain.”
The former Indian wicketkeeper-batter mentioned that Washington Sundar is the leading candidate to replace Ravichandran Ashwin. Karthik pointed out Sundar’s impressive performances in his limited chances and implied that Sundar is expected to be given priority over other potential replacements.
“They are trying out and Washington Sundar is the front-runner behind Ravichandran Ashwin right now. He’s done well in whatever limited opportunities he’s got and I feel he will get his due first before going to anybody else,” Dinesh Karthik added.
