Ravichandran Ashwin breaks his silence over WTC Final omission; calls it a 'stumbling block'
India's 209-run defeat to Australia at the World Test Championship (WTC) Final last week sparked a massive debate around if Rohit Sharma and Co. made a huge mistake by omitting No. 1 Test bowler in the world, R Ashwin, from the playing XI.
FollowDespite being the No. 1 Test bowler in the world, R Ashwin was left out of India's XI for the WTC final against Australia. He views this as a "stumbling block" rather than a "setback" in his career. A discussion was sparked by India's decision to leave out Ashwin in favour of four quick bowlers and one spinner in Ravindra Jadeja. This was especially true following India's 209-run defeat at The Oval, one of England's more spin-friendly venues.
"For me, it's not a setback," Ashwin told the Indian Express and Hindu "It's just a stumbling block, I'll move on because I have gone through that. When somebody knocks you down for the first time, you have a knee-jerk reaction. I think you should be knocked down once in a while along your life so that you are used to it and will know how to bounce back. That's what life is. Whether you are at your peak or not, it is still a setback. The fact that you need to learn how to deal with it is very important."
"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. 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 four pacers and one 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," Ashwin added.
"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 veteran spinner said.
Whether India should play Ashwin or not was a major topic of discussion before the game, and once he was left off the starting lineup, there were many opinions from experts and on social media.
The first World T20 final in Southampton in 2021 featured Ashwin's final Test match in England versus New Zealand. He finished the match with match stats of 4 for 45 from 25 overs, including 10 maidens, taking two wickets in each innings.
He has participated in seven Test matches in England overall, recording 18 wickets in 11 innings at an average of 28.11. But when India last played a Test series in England, they decided to go with four quick bowlers and one spinner, hence he was benched for all five of the matches, four of which were played in 2021 and the last one in 2022.
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 prior to the start of the WTC final.
"I'm a lot more chilled than I used to be," Ashwin said. "A lot more relaxed in my life than I ever have been. Sitting here today, I realise how much of a toll it had taken on me mentally to the point where I was traumatised. But I am very glad to have come through that and discovered a new me."
"A lot of people marketed me and positioned me that I am an overthinker. A person who will get 15-20 matches on the go doesn't have to be mentally overthinking. A person who knows that they will get only two games will be traumatised and will be overthinking because it's my job. It's my journey. So this is what suits me," the veteran spinner added.
