The alteration was necessitated by Axar’s injury, which he sustained during the team’s Asia Cup campaign. Medical assessments indicated that Axar would require at least three weeks to make a full recovery, effectively ruling him out of the tournament.

This change was executed right before the deadline for making alterations to the initial squad. Any further modifications made after the September 28 deadline would require approval from the World Cup’s technical committee.

Ashwin has joined the team in Guwahati, where India is set to engage in their first of two warm-up fixtures against England at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium. They will later face the Netherlands at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram in the second warm-up game before commencing their World Cup campaign against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Notably, with Ashwin’s inclusion, he becomes just the second player from the 2011 World Cup-winning India side to be part of the 2023 contingent, the other being Virat Kohli. While Ashwin has only played two ODIs since the beginning of 2018, he was named in the squad for the home series against Australia. His presence hints at a dual role in the team, not only as a spin bowler but also as a contributor with the bat, a role initially expected of Axar.

Ashwin’s addition also introduces an off-spinning option to the side, addressing a variety lacking in the team’s bowling arsenal. His ability to turn the ball away from left-handed batsmen could prove advantageous against teams with several southpaw hitters.

India Squad For World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav