- Wednesday, April 23, 2025
The veteran India off-spinner registered his 33rd five-wicket haul the very first time he went out to bowl in Tests after missing the WTC final against Australia in June.
By: Shubham Ghosh
ACE India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who was left out of the playing XI for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia last month which India lost badly, admitted on Wednesday (12) that it was tough to sit out of the title clash at the Oval.
The 36-year-old spoke on the matter after delivering a powerful performance on the first day of the first Test against the West Indies at Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica, by picking a five-wicket haul for only 60 runs, his 33rd in the long format, that saw the hosts getting skittled out for a paltry 150.
He is now seventh in the list of bowlers with most fifers in Test cricket, led by Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralidharan (67).
India were comfortably placed at 80 for no less at stumps on Day 1, trailing the Caribbeans by just 70 runs with all wickets intact.
“I have spoken about it. It’s very tough as a cricketer when you have a shot at the WTC final and end up sitting out. But what is the difference between me and another person if I also end up sulking in the dressing room?” he was quoted as saying by Asian News International.
“When we went to the WTC final, I was mentally prepared to play. I had prepared physically and mentally, planned for the game, everything. But, I was also prepared to not play the game.”
“If I’m not playing, how do I respond? How do I make sure the dressing room is really up and about? Winning the WTC final is the most important thing; it could be a very high point in my career, and I would have played a good role in it. It was just unfortunate; it didn’t pan out. The first day just left us too far behind.”
“All I’d like to give to my teammates and Indian cricket as a whole is some understanding and my best efforts on the field, and I’d like to leave it at that,” he said.
The decision to drop Ashwin sparked widespread debate before India fell short in their second consecutive WTC final.
Ashwin had played the final of the WTC 2021 against New Zealand in Southampton and picked four wickets in the match that India lost by eight wickets.
At this stage of his career, 14 years into international cricket, Ashwin reflects on how time has flown by. He values creating memories with the team more than individual achievements such as wickets or runs.
“It’s been almost 14 years on the go, and if you include the IPL, it’s been almost a 15-16 year journey. It has just gone like that. All I would tell anybody is… the first time I met Rahul Dravid as a coach, he made this statement: ‘It’s not about how many wickets you take, how many runs you score. You’ll forget about all of them. It is only the great memories you create as a team that’ll stick with you.’ I’m totally behind that.”
Ashwin expresses gratitude for his journey in cricket and the opportunities the game has given him. He embraces a mindset of enjoying every aspect of the game, whether playing, being dropped, or even contemplating retirement, as the COVID-19 pandemic has altered his perspective on life and cricket.
In the match against West Indies, Ashwin made the most of the bounce on offer at Windsor Park. Introduced into the attack early, he proved too formidable for the West Indies batters, who offered little resistance.
“The wicket had some bounce, especially from the pavilion end. It had a slope that contributed to the bounce. We utilized the first session very well. The wicket had some moisture, and the ball was coming off it nicely.”
“As you saw, they showed a graphic that it was turning more in the second session, but the turn was very slow. However, in the first session, there was bounce, and the pace off the pitch was good. We made good use of it.”
(With agency inputs)
