As the Indian team prepares for a demanding 2-match Test series against South Africa in the Freedom Trophy, veteran off-spinner R Ashwin shared a surprising revelation about the greatest threat or adversary to the Indian cricket team. This revelation was made in a recent video uploaded on Ashwin’s YouTube channel.
R Ashwin Named ‘The Biggest Enemy’ Of Team India In The Team
In a recently uploaded 21-minute video titled “SA tour diaries: What’s happening with the test squad” on Ashwin’s YouTube channel, he introduced wicket-keeper batsman KS Bharat before revealing the unexpected adversary. Contrary to expectations, this individual is neither a foreigner nor a coach from another team but Rajgopalan Venkatesh, a former cricketer born in Chennai.
Despite not earning a spot on the Indian national team, the 61-year-old has amassed considerable experience playing in the domestic circuit for Railways. Venkatesh played in 20 matches throughout his first-class career, claiming 69 wickets and scoring 464 runs in 23 innings.
Just last month, during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, Venkatesh served as the local manager for the Australian team. In a noteworthy match at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Australia secured a victory over India by 6 wickets.
Notably, a local manager, as explained by Ravichandran Ashwin, is responsible for overseeing a team’s local needs. During the World Cup, Rajgopalan Venkatesh assisted Australia in managing these local requirements. Presently, he has assumed the same role for the Indian national team that is currently touring South Africa.
In his YouTube video, Ravichandran Ashwin mentioned that R Venkatesh is considered one of the biggest enemies for Team India. He said:
“So, right now he (Venkatesh) is one of the biggest enemies of the Indian cricket team. He was the local manager of the World Cup-winning Australian cricket team until last month. Why did you did this to us, sir?” – Ravichandran Aswhin asked.
“My life was peaceful until that happened. My entire peace has been lost since then,” Venkatesh replied to Ashwin.
With only 2 days left for the 1st Test in Johannesburg, the Indian team is diligently preparing to secure a positive result in the Freedom Trophy series. By positive we mean India’s clear intention to halt their past trend of losing in Test matches in South Africa.
