Ravichandran Ashwin, the No. 1 Test bowler in the world, couldn’t find a place in the Indian team’s playing XI for the World Test Championship final against Australia. For many, Ashwin’s absence from the team was one of the biggest reasons behind India’s defeat in the final. The off-spinner, who himself is one of his biggest critics, opened up on the heartbreaking decision by the team management, admitting that he would’ve loved to feature in the title-decider.
In an interview with the Indian Express, Ashwin said he absolutely wanted to play in the final as he has played a part in helping the team get to that stage.
“It’s a hard question to answer, right? Because we are standing right after the WTC Final. I would have loved to play because I have played a part in us getting there. Even in the last final I got four wickets and bowled really well,” he said.
On the questions around his ‘overseas performances’, Ashwin said that since the 2018-19 season, his overseas show has been ‘fantastic’.
“Ever since 2018-19, my bowling overseas has been fantastic and I have managed to win games for the team. I am looking at it as a captain or coach and I’m just talking in hindsight, in their defence. So the last time when we were in England, it was 2-2 with a drawn Test and they would have felt 4 pacers and 1 spinner is the combination in England. That is what they might have thought going into the final. The problem is for a spinner to come into play, it must be the fourth innings. The fourth innings is a very crucial facet and for us to be able to put that amount of runs so the spinner can come into play, it’s completely a mindset thing,” said the veteran spinner.
A champion bowler, Ashwin said that he doesn’t think much about what others are saying about him as he is his own critic.
“To look inwards and say, ‘okay, somebody is judging me is foolishness’. I think I’m not at the stage of my career to think what others are thinking of me. I know what I am capable of. If I’m not good at something, I’ll be my first best critic. And I will work on it and I’m not someone who will sit on my laurels. I’ve never been made that way. So to think of who’s judging me is immaterial,” the Tamil Nadu-born spinner said.
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