Ashwin reflects on Dhoni's wisdom amid criticism over Indian team's West Indies tour performance
Ravichandran Ashwin has invoked the wisdom of former captain MS Dhoni as critics scrutinise the Indian cricket team's performance during the West Indies tour.
FollowFollowing the Indian cricket team's varied performance during the West Indies tour, which saw triumphs in the Test and ODI series but a bitter 2-3 loss in the T20I series, criticism has been directed towards the team. Amid discussions about the team's future, veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin turned to a valuable quote shared by former Indian skipper MS Dhoni and his coaches. While the tour offered opportunities to emerging talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, and Mukesh Kumar, who marked his debut across all three formats, it also exposed certain shortcomings, particularly in the T20Is.
Ashwin referenced Dhoni's words: "MS Dhoni and some of my coaches have imparted this wisdom: 'In losses, you gain numerous insights. Yet, those who gain knowledge even from victories are the ones who evolve into champions.'"
Delving deeper, Ashwin addressed the team's areas of concern, including the batting depth highlighted by head coach Rahul Dravid. He emphasised the need to enhance the batting lineup's strength beyond the eighth position and acknowledged the ongoing debate surrounding this matter.
The other thing is how can we improve with the available resources?
"Should we play a bowler just because he will give us a few runs with the bat at number 8, or should we try to improve the batting arsenal of the available bowlers? If a certain bowler can score 5 runs in 4 balls, should we improve his batting skill and make him score those 5 runs in 2 balls? Should we give him that practice instead? Whatever is said and done, this requires personal leadership," he further said.
The off-spinner feels even if the players will improve 1 percent with the opportunities given to them, that's promising for the future.
"If they can improve even 1%, it will be good for our future. If there is role clarity, then everyone will get better individually," Ashwin added
subscribe to Asianet Newsable WhatsApp channel by clicking here.
