Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has advocated for the inclusion of experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar in India‘s squad for the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup. Ashwin believes Kumar’s swing bowling capabilities could be vital, especially given the tournament’s conditions.
The 2027 World Cup is scheduled to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. A significant portion of the matches will take place in South Africa, where pitches are traditionally known to favour seam and swing bowlers. Ashwin highlighted this factor as a key reason for Kumar’s potential value.
Kumar, who will be 37 during the World Cup if selected, last played for India in 2022. Recurring injuries have kept him out of national selection since then. However, Ashwin suggests that with careful management over the next year, Kumar still has much to offer the national side.
Speaking on a YouTube channel, Ashwin made a strong case for the fast bowler’s return. He stated, “Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a yes. I would communicate to him. Get him to play all the tournaments, first-class, Vijay Hazare, everything, and get him primed going to South Africa. I think we will need him there.”
Despite a modest overall record in South Africa, with 19 wickets from 13 international matches at an average of 35.26, Kumar has previously achieved best figures of 5/24 in the country. Ashwin emphasized Kumar’s ability to move the new ball as a crucial asset on South African pitches.
Kumar’s recent performance in the IPL 2026 has also brought him back into contention. Playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he rediscovered his form, delivering incisive opening spells, accurate yorkers, and disciplined lengths. He finished the tournament as the second-highest wicket-taker, securing 28 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 17.89 and an economy rate of 7.95. These performances have reignited discussions about his potential international comeback.
In his 121 One-Day Internationals, Kumar has taken 141 wickets at an average of 35.11, with best figures of 5/42. Across all 229 international matches, he has claimed 294 wickets.
Ashwin also outlined his preferred core squad for the 2027 World Cup. He included established players such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, alongside captain Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, K L Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Jasprit Bumrah.
For the bowling attack, Ashwin backed Kuldeep Yadav as the primary spinner. He suggested Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj to lead the pace attack, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar completing the seam trio. Ashwin also identified two younger talents, Harshit Rana and wicket-keeper-batter Ishan Kishan, for potential inclusion.
Harshit Rana was noted for his height, pace, and ability to extract bounce, which Ashwin believes would be beneficial in South African conditions. Ashwin, however, remained undecided on several other players, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Prasidh Krishna.
Among the players Ashwin explicitly ruled out for his proposed squad were Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Abhishek Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Shivam Dube, Prince Yadav, and Gurnoor Brar.
The 2027 ODI World Cup is scheduled to run from October 4 to November 21, featuring 14 teams. The tournament will be hosted across 12 cities in the three co-hosting nations.
This will be the 14th edition of the tournament. Australia are the defending champions and hold the record for the most titles with six. The West Indies won the inaugural edition and were also the first team to retain the trophy in 1975 and 1979. Only six nations have won the 13 titles so far, with New Zealand being the only team to have participated in all editions without winning the trophy.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was part of India’s 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cup campaigns, where India reached the semi-finals on both occasions.
The upcoming tournament marks the return of the World Cup to South Africa, which last hosted the event in 2003.
Source: m.rediff.com
