Earlier this month, the Indian cricket team suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the World Test Championship 2023 Final against Australia. Besides India’s lackluster performance at the marque event, one of the major talking points was the absence of off-spinner R Ashwin from the playing XI.
Ravi Ashwin, who played an instrumental role in team India’s success in the WTC cycle 2021-2023 and helped the team reach the final clash, was dropped from the squad. Indian captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid faced further criticism for Ashwin’s snub after Nathan Lyon, Australia’s off-spinner, picked four crucial wickets to become the highest wicket-taker in India’s second innings.
‘Teammates Are Colleagues’ – Ashwin
Days after the WTC Final 2023 defeat, in an interview with the Indian Express, Ashwin opened up on being benched for the final and also talked about the various aspects of being a part of the Indian team.One of his remarks from the interview created quite a buzz on social media, where he stated that there are no friends in the dressing room, just ‘colleagues’. He had said:
“This is an era where everybody is a colleague. Once upon a time when cricket was played, all your teammates were friends. Now, they’re colleagues. There’s a big difference because here people are there to advance themselves and to stride ahead of another person sitting to your right or left. So nobody’s got the time to say, ‘okay, boss what are you up to’?”
He added:
“In fact, I believe cricket gets better when you share it. It gets better when you when you understand another person’s technique and another person’s journey. But it doesn’t happen anywhere close to how much it must happen. Nobody will come for your help. It’s an isolated journey. Of course, you can reach any professional you want to, tap into some coach, you can pay and go, practice, try to feed of them and all that. But sometimes we forget that cricket is a very self-taught sport.”
Ravi Shastri Gave A Stern Reply To R Ashwin’s Remark
Meanwhile, former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, who had worked closely with Ravi Ashwin during his tenure with the team, gave a straightforward remark when asked about the veteran’s comment. Shastri bluntly stated that there will always be colleagues, no matter whether it’s in the dressing room or the commentary box. He said:
“For me, it was always colleagues. You will have buddies who are colleagues. I mean… how many close friends do anyone have? If you go and ask anyone, they will say 4-5… in their life! I’m happy with 5 close friends in my life, I don’t want more than that,” Shastri told The Week.
He added: “What I’m saying is, all the time colleagues. Commentary box, colleagues,”
