Addressing a fan's concern who felt that except on social media there is not much "vibe and excitement" for this year's ODI World Cup, senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said on Saturday that the excitement for 2023 ODI World Cup will kick in once 2023 Asia Cup begins on August 31. He also said that social media serves as a great platform to add more audience to the mega ICC event.
"It’s a bit too early and I am sure it will kick in once the Asia cup begins," Ashwin tweeted in reply. "The World Cup fixtures used to come out in small calendar type prints and I used to take it to school to discuss India’s games. Happening on Social media now and that’s a good thing cos more people can get involved."
Some fans like Ashwin who also reacted to the tweet, felt that delay and last minute changes to the World Cup fixtures with less than 100 days left for the tournament didn't help the cause. There's not been much marketing around the World Cup either.
Ashwin, in all likelihood, won't be picked in India's World Cup squad with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav being the frontrunners. However, World's number one Test bowler has been in the thick of things, often sharing his views on social media.
Ashwin recently opined how talented youngster Tilak Varma is an 'exciting option' as India lack left-handers in their batting lineup.
“This is neck-and-neck with respect to the World Cup," Ashwin said. "So, will they think about Tilak Varma as an option if we don’t have enough backups? Because Sanju Samson has performed really well in ODIs."
"But the exciting part about Tilak Varma is that he is a left-hander, and Team India is lacking left-handers. Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) is the only left-handed batter in the top 7," he added.