Ravichandran Ashwin elaborated on why he was left off last week’s starting lineup for the WTC Final against Australia. Despite being the best Test bowler in the world, R Ashwin was left out of India’s starting lineup for the WTC championship match against Australia, which R Ashwin views as a “stumbling block” rather than a “twist” in his career. There was controversy around Ashwin’s exclusion from India’s lineup, which included four fast bowlers and a spinner in Ravindra Jadeja. It was especially true following India’s 209-run defeat to England at The Oval, one of England’s more spin-friendly venues.
According to Ashwin, “For me, it’s not a twist,” he told The Indian Express and The Hindu. “It’s simply a stumbling block, and now that I’ve overcome it, I will move on. You react when someone knocks you to the ground for the first time. You ought to occasionally get knocked down. Life acclimates you to it. You know how to recover. That’s how life is. No matter where you are in life—at the top or not—this is still a setback. You must develop coping mechanisms.
“Since I contributed to how we got there, I would have liked to play. I even had four wickets and had a great game in the last final. Since I’ve been playing bowling abroad in 2018–19, it’s been amazing; I’ve had success with winning teams. I interpret that as being a captain or coach; I’m just standing up for them now. They may believe that England’s combination is 4 pacers and 1 spinner coming into the final, but for us, it is entirely a frame of mind that we can stop so many moves so that the spinner can work. The last time we were in England, it ended in a 2-2 draw.
“Okay, someone is judging me. I believe that at this point in my career, I am not in a position to care what people think of me. I am aware of my capabilities. I’m my own greatest critic when I’m bad at something. And because I don’t rest on my laurels, I’ll work on it. I wasn’t ever created that way. So it is irrelevant to consider who is evaluating me.
Based on Ravichandran Ashwin should play or not
When Ashwin was left out of the starting lineup, there was a lot of discussion among analysts and on social media over whether India should have played him or not.
The first World T20 final in Southampton in 2021 featured Ashwin’s last Test match in England, where he faced off against New Zealand. He finished with four for 45 in 25 overs, including 10 ladies, taking two wickets per innings.
He has participated in seven Test matches in England, recording 18 wickets at an average of 28.11 in 11 innings. However, when India last played the series in England, he played all five Test matches. India chose to bowl four fast bowlers and one spinner, and the final Test was stopped in 2022. Read more T20 news here at Indibet.
Despite claiming to be much more “chilled” and “relaxed” at this point in his life and career, Ashwin revealed he was aware of his exclusion 48 hours before the start of the WTC final.
He declared he was much more at ease than I used to be. “I’ve never been in my life when I’ve been that calm. I now see how much of a mental toll that had taken on me, to the point where I was traumatized. But I’m happy to have overcome that and found a new version of myself.
“Many individuals have promoted and positioned me as an overthinker. A person does not need to be overthinking their actions if they can acquire 15-20 matches at once. Because it’s my job, someone who knows they’ll only get two games will be traumatized and overthink everything. My adventure is it. Therefore, this is what I like.”
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