India's ten-year wait for an International Cricket Council (ICC) trophy continued as they suffered a disappointing defeat to Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final on June 11.
Many questions were pointed at India captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid regarding some of the decisions they made regarding team selection and strategy, with one of the most asked being why veteran bowler and lead wicket-taker Ravichandran Ashwin wasn't selected in the final 11.
The veteran bowler himself recently opened up about his omission in the WTC Final against Australia.
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'Would have loved to play the final': Ashwin
In an interview with Indian Express, Ashwin stated that he wanted to very much take part in the WTC Final and was looking forward to it after taking four wickets in the 2021 Final, "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 then added that his overseas performances in the last five or so years have improved, often leading his team to victory singlehandedly. However, he understands why the team was selected in a particular manner, as the last time India played a Test in England and drew 2-2, they fielded four seamers as they did against Australia.
"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 spinner.
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However, Ashwin remarked that he does not see it as a setback, neither does he regret it and will move on from it as soon as possible. He opined that often there are moments when a person is knocked down, but over time one realises they need these humblings to learn from them and grow even better.
"For me, it’s not a setback. 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 set back. The fact that you need to learn how to deal with it is very important," stated Ashwin.
When will Ashwin play next?
Ashwin is currently playing for the Dindigul Dragons in the Tamil Nadu Premier League and will play in their next game against Siechem Madurai Panthers on June 18.
