India name replacement for injured all-rounder in World Cup squad

India name replacement for injured all-rounder in World Cup squad

The ICC confirmed on Thursday that India had picked veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as a replacement for injured spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel in their 15-man roster for the 2017 ODI World Cup.

Axar suffered a quadriceps rupture and is unlikely to recover anytime soon, leading the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee to name the 37-year-old Ashwin, who took four wickets in the recently finished series against Australia, to the squad.

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"After suffering a left quadriceps strain during India's Asia Cup Super Four match against Bangladesh, Axar Patel was unable to recover in time for the World Cup." As a result, the spin-bowling all-rounder missed the Asia Cup final," the ICC claimed in a media statement.

"Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been named his replacement, who was impressive on his return to ODI cricket in the recently concluded series against Australia where he picked up four wickets in two games," the press release continued.

When Axar failed to recover in time for the third ODI against Australia in Rajkot, the writing was on the wall.

Ashwin traveled with the Indian squad to Guwahati, where they will face England in their first warm-up game on Saturday, September 30.