Virat Kohli wanted Ravichandran Ashwin in the T20 World Cup squad: Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly, the President of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), opened up about Virat Kohli‘s role in Ravichandran Ashwin’s comeback into the limited overs side. The veteran off-spinner was a part of India’s squad in the T20 World Cup and finished the tournament with six wickets in three games. 

Ashwin had last played white-ball cricket, at the international level, in 2016 before he got a spot in the 2021 World Cup squad. While India failed to qualify for the semi-finals, the Delhi Capitals player made his mark, coach Rahul Dravid calling him a ‘match-winner’. 

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Ganguly, speaking on  Boria Majumdar’s show ‘Backstage with Boria’, said Virat Kohli wanted Ashwin in the squad. 

“I wasn’t sure whether he would be a part of the white-ball (set-up). But then Virat Kohli wanted him in the side. And whatever little bit of opportunity he got, I thought he was superb,” Ganguly said.

The BCCI President further added that with Ashwin’s Test record, it was hard for the selectors to ignore him. 

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“Look at his Test record, it is phenomenal. It does not need me to say Ravichandran Ashwin is exceptional. His record and his performances show that he is exceptional. And you can’t ignore such players. You cannot just turn your eyes and say that he’s gone. I am not surprised with what he is doing,” he said.

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“Everybody speaks about him. Look at Rahul Dravid’s statement after the (Kanpur) Test match – he called him an all-time great and one of the biggest match-winners. You don’t need rocket science to judge Ashwin’s talent. My appreciation just comes from what I see. It may be Ashwin, it may be (Shreyas) Iyer, it may be Rohit (Sharma), it may be Virat (Kohli). And I just say what I see. There is nothing more to it,” he added.

Ravichandran Ashwin was a part of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning team and also the Champions League side in 2013.  Ganguly stated that his past performances gave every reason for him to back the spinner in any format.