ODI World Cup 2023: Is India looking at replacing Mohammad Siraj with Ravichandran Ashwin?

India and Australia are set to face each other in the final of the ODI World Cup 2023. At Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, a record crowd is expected to take part in the event. The match is set to be a spectacle, which will be remembered for a long time. India has been on a terrfic form coming into the match and would be hoping to win their third title. India is yet to be beaten in the tournament.

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In their 10 matches, India has won all the 10 matches. On the other hand, Australia is on a winning streak as well. The five-time world champions have won their last 8 matches to enter the final of the tournament. Going by the current form, india looks a bit stronger. But given the pedigree of Australia in the big tournaments, particularly in the ODI World Cup, one could expect a fascinating contest. 

Here is the likely playing XI of India for the big match. 

Top order - Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli

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The Indian top order has fired in three diffierent approaches. Rohit Sharma at the top has been excellent with his aggressive intent. At the start of the innings, Rohit has been taking big risks to provide quality starts to the side. It has allowed other batters around him to bat more freely. Shubman Gill has been able to complement well with his captain and the run-machine. The youngster has been able to act as a glue in between the two world class batters. 

Virat Kohli has been at his best in the tournament. The experienced batter has broken several records in the tournament. The Indian number 3 has scored a whopping 711 runs as a batter in 10 innings including 3 hundreds and 5 fifty plus scores. In the semifinal of the tournament, Virat scored a hundred and set the new world record for most hundreds by a batter in ODIs. All eyes would be on the 35-year-old, come the big match against Australia in Ahmedabad. 

Middle order - Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja 

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The Indian middle order has fired well in the tournament. Coming into the tournament, there were questions over the form of Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, and KL Rahul. But all the three of them have performed extremely well in the tournament till now. In the last four matches, Iyer has four scores of over 75. In the last 2 matches, Iyer converted them into big ones. In the semifinal, Iyer took the game away from New Zealand at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. 

KL Rahul with his batting has been good. But with the gloves, he has been exceptional. Against Australia, Rahul had scored an unbeaten 97 that helped India to win the match. As a finisher, Rahul has been good. Ravindra Jadeja has been excellent as an All-rounder. As a bowler, Jadeja has been excellent. With the bat, he has been handy. As a fielder, Jadeja has been at his best. When necessary, Suryakumar Yadav can step up and perform for his team. 

Bowlers - Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav

The Indian bowling has undoubtedly been the standout unit for the team in the tournament. The bowlers have won the matches for India in almost all the occasions. Right from the first match aaginst Australia to the semifinal of the tournament against New Zealand, Indian bowlers have performed well. However, a big question arises ahead of the final. Given the form of Mohammed Siraj, there have been talks around replacing him with Ravichandran Ashwin. 

Siraj has not performed as well as one would have likes. Ashwin, on the other hand, has a good record against some of the top Australian batters like David Warner, Steve Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne in recent years. It might be an interesting call to pick one among the two, given the fact that Ashwin could provide a bit with the bat as well. But India is likely to continue with Siraj, as he has the capabiilities to perform on big matches against the best teams.