Baroda off-spinner Mahesh Pithiya, who gained notoriety earlier this year for assisting the Australian cricket team in net sessions ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India, has declined an offer to join the Aussies once more in preparation for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Pithiya was recruited by the Australian team management earlier to counter the threat posed by India’s ace off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin. It’s worth noting that Pithiya considers Ashwin his role model, and his bowling action closely resembles that of the Indian veteran.

As Australia gears up for the World Cup, they had approached the 21-year-old again,?? but this time, Pithi??ya turned down the offer.

While speaking about his decision, Pithiya told Sportstar, “It was certainly an exciting offer, but then, I am also part of the Baroda set-up for the domestic season that begins next month. So, I thought about it, spoke to our coach and informed them that it won’t be possible for me to join the camp this time around.”

Australia called Mahesh Pithiya after BCCI included R Ashwin in India’s ODI World Cup 2023 squad

Aust??ralia will to begin their World Cup campaign against host India in Chennai on Octo??ber 8.

Also READ: ODI World Cup 2023 – Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan picks his favourite Indian cricketers

The Chepauk pitch is renowned for assisting spinners, and Ashwin has been included in India’s World Cup squad after injury to left-arm spinner Axar Patel.

“As soon as the BCCI announced Ashwin as the replacement for Axar, I got the call. It is always exciting to work with international teams, but my priority is domestic cricket. I have come so far because of playing for Baroda, and ahead of a long season, I thought I should focus on my game and not join the Australian team,” Pithiya added.

Meanwhile, Australia’s first warm-up match of the tournament was abandoned due to inclement weather. Nonetheless, standout performances from players like Steve Smith and Cameron Green at the crease and an exceptional hat-trick by Mitchell Starc highlighted th??eir encounter against the Netherlands before rain disrupted pro??ceedings.

Also READ: Complete list of ODI World Cup Winning Captain??s, Player of the M??atch in Final and Player of the Series

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The Pat Cummins’ led Australian cricket team has arrived in India for the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, ??which starts on February 09 in Nagpur.?? The four-match Test series will be crucial for both sides in order to confirm their places in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Since the WTC final is on the line, the tourists are also leaving no stone unturned in ter??ms of preparations for the 4-match red-ball battle. The spinners are going to play a major role, and therefore, the chances of the Aussies shining in the Tests could potentially rest on the manner in which the visiting batters tackle the Indian tweakers.

The biggest challenge for the Australians would be of Ravichandran Ashwin, who will be lethal in his home conditions. Taking note of that, the touring party have roped in Mahesh Pithiya to tackle Ashwin’s spin threat. Notably, Australia’s last two Test tours of India have been forgettable as they suffered a humbling 4-0 whitewash in 2013, followed by a 2-1 defeat on their next trip four years later in 2017.

In an attempt to tackle the spin, especially the challenge against Ashwin, Australia have set up a camp at the KSCA ground in Alur on the outskirts of Bengaluru and picked Pithiya, a?? right-arm off-spinner whose acti?on is very similar to Ashwin. Pithiya has played 4 First Class and 1 T20 match for Baroda.

In a video which is doing the rounds on social media, Pithiya can be seen bowling to Australian batting maestro Steve Smith. The Aussie vice-captain was also heard saying, “well-bowled, mate”. Even Australian opener Matthew Renshaw exclaimed, “this guy bowls just like Ashwin” from the adjoining net.

Here is the video:

Steve Smith practiced Mahesh Pithiya bowling who's a quite similar bowler like Ashwin. #BorderGavaskarTrophy#INDvsAUS #INDvAUSpic.twitter.com/BVVadbk6RV

— Abdullah Neaz (@cric___guy) February 3, 2023

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