Once again,Ashwin fails to get a look in

Instead,Piyush Chawla,who had been ordinary against England and Ireland,retained his place.

Given skipper MS Dhonis suggestion that he might try a new bowling combination against the Netherlands at the Ferozeshah Kotla,it was a surprise to see R Ashwins name missing from Indias eleven. Given the off spinners solid record in the handful of ODIs he has had an opportunity in,it might have made sense for the management to ease him into the tournament against an associate team,to prepare him for bigger tests that may await him.

Instead,Piyush Chawla,who had been ordinary against England and Ireland,retained his place. Compared to Ashwin,Chawla needs more practice so we decided to play him today. Ashwin is mentally stronger,and it doesnt matter against whom he comes in,he will do well, was skipper MS Dhonis explanation at the toss.

This could be a statement of Dhonis confidence in a bowler he has captained regularly in the IPL. Or a veiled way of saying that Ashwin doesnt really figure in his plans for the tournament. As of now,it is all conjecture but of the seven ODIs Ashwin has played,five were under Gautam Gambhirs captaincy,and only two under Dhonis.

Moreover,Ashwin has never played in tandem with Harbhajan Singh Dhoni has been reluctant to play the two offies in the same eleven,a tactic he was comfortable using in the IPL,where Muttiah Muralitharan was often Ashwins partner in crime.

However,bowling coach Eric Simmons has been busy preparing Ashwin at the nets before every game,instructing him to keep the old ball away and pick the new ball from the box. In every team meeting theres a discussion about Ashwin. In the IPL,Dhoni usually harnesses the off spinners control and variety by throwing him the new ball.

Ashwins absence against the Netherlands was even more keenly felt when Dhoni made Yusuf Pathan bowl the third over,put Harbhajan Singh on in the seventh,and Chawla in the 11th. Ashwin might have been the perfect choice to exploit the Kotla pitch,given its slow nature.

Dhoni might have commended Ashwins mental strength,but that attribute will be tested to its hilt were he to make his World Cup bow against a big side in a big game,with tremendous expectations to live up to. When will Ashwins moment come? Its hard to say for sure,but it might just be the game against the West Indies on his home turf in Chennai.