Ashwin has taken 151 wickets in ODIs. Only four other Indian spinners have taken more wickets in the format than him. However, only one of those has come since 2018 and only 11 since 2016, which is why his sudden recall ahead of an all-important home ODI World Cup has raised eyebrows.

Ashwin’s call-up was necessitated after Axar Patel was injured during India’s Asia Cup clash against Bangladesh. With India having made their intentions of not compromising with batting depth clear, they were left with only two options for spin-bowling all-rounders – Washington Sundar and Ashwin.

Both have found their way into the squad for the Australia series, and will essentially be locked in for a battle for the third spinner’s slot at the World Cup in case Axar doesn’t recover in time, or the fourth spinner’s slot in case he does.

Sundar’s call-up for the Asia Cup final gave the indication that he might be ahead of Ashwin in the pecking order, but Rohit Sharma clarified that he was chosen because he was the one who was available at such short notice, and that doors are open for either of them.

The definitive factor that Sundar has in his favour over Ashwin is the fact that he has a better batting pedigree and can be floated up the order as a left-hander to counter spin. Conceptually, it makes sense, but in reality, Sundar hasn’t proved his white-ball batting credentials against spin so far.

In ODIs, he averages 18.25 against spin and strikes at 73, while in T20s, those numbers read 18.5 and 96.1. From a potential floater to be used specifically against spin, you’d want much better numbers.

India would ideally want Axar to get back to full fitness before the deadline for the final squad announcement – September 28. If he doesn’t, they will have a tough choice to make between Ashwin and Sundar based on just the three upcoming games against Australia.

The venues for the Australia series – Mohali, Indore, and Rajkot – aren’t ideal for spinners, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if both Ashwin and Sundar struggle against the strong Australian batting lineup, particularly if the surfaces on offer are characteristically flat, which would make the choice even tougher for the selectors.

Currently, Ashwin may seem like the riskier pick between the two of them from the outside. But if he does somehow manage to find himself playing a third successive white-ball World Cup despite not playing much international white-ball cricket otherwise, it wouldn’t be without reason, and it wouldn’t be the worst thing for India.