Ravi Ashwin Interview discussion thread

[gooner]

Original Title edited  by Mod: "Ravi Ashwin is a genius. Also reading between the lines it is true that the relationship between players and kohli + Shastri has not been that great. https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1293861/r-ashwin---ive-always-been-good-at-assessing-batsmen-but-"

 

https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1293861/r-ashwin---ive-always-been-good-at-assessing-batsmen-but-now-i-think-ive-taken-it-to-another-level?s=08

Edited December 21, 2021 by sandeep
title was silly

[zubinpepsi]

here are his quotes on that.. sadly there were no questions on his continuous non-selection for the english tests..

[quote]

When Kuldeep Yadav took those five wickets in Sydney and Ravi Shastri said he was India's No. 1 overseas spinner, he said: "There is a time for everyone." Which I felt suggested somebody else's time had come and gone. Did that have any impact on you?
I hold Ravi bhai in high esteem. We all do. And I understand we all can say things and then retract them. In that moment, though, I felt crushed. Absolutely crushed. We all talk about how important it is to enjoy your team-mates' success. And I was happy for Kuldeep. I have not been able to get a five-for but he has a five-for in Australia. I know how big it is. Even when I have bowled well [at other times], I haven't ended up with a five-for. So I am genuinely happy for him. And it's an extremely happy occasion, to win in Australia.

But if I have to come and partake in his happiness, and the success of the team, I must feel like I belong there. If I feel like I am being thrown under the bus, how am I supposed to get up and come for a party to enjoy the team's or team-mate's success? I went back to my room and then I spoke to my wife. And my children were there. So we were able to, you know, shrug it off, and I still made it to the party, because, end of the day, we had won a massive series.

And you played a genuine part in winning the first Test.
The first Test seemed like a distant memory by then. I had taken three of the first four wickets in the first innings after we were bowled out cheaply, and then when it got really flat in the final innings, I plugged away for 50-plus overs and took three wickets despite what turned out to be a grade three abdomen tear. In my mind, I had done something great for the team in excruciating pain, but all I heard was, "Nathan Lyon took six, Ashwin took three."

As it is, I was frustrated with my body for letting me down when I was in really good bowling form. The last thing I needed was these comparisons and insinuations. Between that reaction and Sydney, it didn't feel like I had played any part at all.

Regarding those comments after Sydney, he might say, "Oh, this was my way of motivating him, lighting a fire under him." We have seen that with Rishabh Pant.
Motivation is for those who need it. But when someone is going through a tough phase in life and needs an arm around his shoulder… that was a tough phase in my life.[/quote]

[ShoonyaSifar]

Quote

'I've always been good at assessing batsmen, but now I think I've taken it to another level'

Wow! Talk about humility. Dude should at least pick up a 5-er in SENA before saying such things

[R!TTER]

3 minutes ago, ShoonyaSifar said:

Wow! Talk about humility. Dude should at least pick up a 5-er in SENA before saying such things

Possibly another set of humiliation awaits him, hopefully not at the cost of India's wins! Remember last time when he picked up big wickets in England first test & Ashwin boasted of all his variations then showed them live during the test to SKY's commentary team - do you recall his returns after that 

 

If he's tooting his massive horn again, it's almost certain he's preordained for failure 

[SRT100]

6 minutes ago, ShoonyaSifar said:

Wow! Talk about humility. Dude should at least pick up a 5-er in SENA before saying such things

 

Given none of our batsmen really bowl, when one of our key bowlers can bat well and save a Test like in Sydney and therefore play a role as a batsmen in a series winning innings in SENA, Ashwin has done more than enough with the bat to justify his comments, let alone his bowling.

 

Its not all about taking 5 wickets in SENA, its about taking crucial wickets and also about containment in Test Cricket which he has done a lot of times.

[sensible-indian]

"I hold Ravi bhai in high esteem. We all do. And I understand we all can say things and then retract them. In that moment, though, I felt crushed. Absolutely crushed. We all talk about how important it is to enjoy your team-mates' success. And I was happy for Kuldeep. I have not been able to get a five-for but he has a five-for in Australia. I know how big it is. Even when I have bowled well [at other times], I haven't ended up with a five-for. So I am genuinely happy for him. And it's an extremely happy occasion, to win in Australia."

[gooner]

27 minutes ago, ShoonyaSifar said:

Wow! Talk about humility. Dude should at least pick up a 5-er in SENA before saying such things

Some people are the way they are. Ashwin for me as always been a guy who thinks about crucial breakthroughs, match ups, crunch situations. A guy who would want to take wickets of smith and labu or a de Villiers and Faf, Williamson and taylor rather than 5 fers. Also a cricketer with razor sharp mind. When he talks it may feel like he is a show off, but I think it's just the way he is. A total nerd.

[SRT100]

2 minutes ago, gooner said:

Some people are the way they are. Ashwin for me as always been a guy who thinks about crucial breakthroughs, match ups, crunch situations. A guy who would want to take wickets of smith and labu or a de Villiers and Faf, Williamson and taylor rather than 5 fers. Also a cricketer with razor sharp mind. When he talks it may feel like he is a show off, but I think it's just the way he is. A total nerd.

 

Lets not forget also, each batsmen you stated are absolute match winners. Having Ashwin to get a couple of these wickets each innings early, is crucial to a win.

[Serpico]

He's bad at getting tailenders out outside India, which is why he got no 5fers. So many times he gets 3 out of top 5 wickets but can't pick the other two and ends with no 5fer

 

 

[Serpico]

Kumble, warne, murali used to feast on tailenders. I think Ashwin lacks the street smarts to deal with unorthodox/unpredictable batsman (tailenders bat on instinct than proper technique)

[gooner]

35 minutes ago, Serpico said:

He's bad at getting tailenders out outside India, which is why he got no 5fers. So many times he gets 3 out of top 5 wickets but can't pick the other two and ends with no 5fer

 

 

In this interview too he acknowledges it. I trust him to devise a plan for that.

[sandeep]

I love Ashwin.  He's a hard working cricketer and brilliant at his craft.  But he's also human.  He has his perspective, others have theirs.  

 

This article shows he carries a lot of hurt with him, especially due to the perception of his injury struggles.  And on that front, he's not being 'difficult'.  Even today, majority of this forum is busy competing in giggles and mocking Hardik Pandya for his serious back injury.  I mean, the guy had to get surgery on his back.  Its not like he's faking it. 

And Ash being a spinner, got even more ridicule for his injury issues.

[gattaca]

3 minutes ago, sandeep said:

I love Ashwin.  He's a hard working cricketer and brilliant at his craft.  But he's also human.  He has his perspective, others have theirs.  

 

This article shows he carries a lot of hurt with him, especially due to the perception of his injury struggles.  And on that front, he's not being 'difficult'.  Even today, majority of this forum is busy competing in giggles and mocking Hardik Pandya for his serious back injury.  I mean, the guy had to get surgery on his back.  Its not like he's faking it. 

And Ash being a spinner, got even more ridicule for his injury issues.

But look at his comments Ravi shastri was terrible as head coach. I initially thought it was all kohli who ignored Ashwin but coach is equally partner in crime. Pandya getting a free pass is a problem he didn’t even play for MI the first few games. Either miscommunication between him and selectors or something because they should have selected someone else in place of him for t20WC. 

[Adamant]

He is definitely an ATG for me, it's just that we Indians don't really hype him up. 

 

Also Shastri saying that Kuldeep was our best overseas spinner was surely insulting although I know he doesn't think much before speaking. 

[sandeep]

7 minutes ago, gattaca said:

But look at his comments Ravi shastri was terrible as head coach.

That's a twisted interpretation. Based on one comment that Ash took personally?  

 

I'm not out here claiming Shastri was some sort of Coach extraordinaire.  But people are far too eager to diminish Shastri's positives and inflate his negatives.  

 

 

[gooner]

3 minutes ago, Adamant said:

He is definitely an ATG for me, it's just that we Indians don't really hype him up. 

 

Also Shastri saying that Kuldeep was our best overseas spinner was surely insulting although I know he doesn't think much before speaking. 

And to top it off, Kuldeep was discarded the moment he got thrashed. Not saying that Kuldeep was some kind of world beater, he himself had issues with confidence, but the way he was discarded may have dented his confidence further.

 

Just put yourselves in his shoes, one day you are projected as you are the best by your mentor, at the first sign of trouble you are thrown under the bus.

How devastating it can be !!

 

[sandeep]

5 minutes ago, Adamant said:

He is definitely an ATG for me, it's just that we Indians don't really hype him up. 

 

Also Shastri saying that Kuldeep was our best overseas spinner was surely insulting although I know he doesn't think much before speaking. 

It was not an ideal comment, but that's the double edged sword that comes with bombast.  

 

And to be fair, Kuldeep at that point potentially offered the tantalizing prospect of effective wicket taking wrist spin on wickets that finger spinners could be neutralized and reduced to 'holding' support acts by host teams.  

 

Again, not agreeing with or justifying Shastri's comment.  Especially given how grievously Ash took it.  But context matters.

[sandeep]

@gooner fyi I updated your thread title, please make the titles shorter and not so.... ______ 

[ShoonyaSifar]

3 hours ago, gooner said:

Some people are the way they are. Ashwin for me as always been a guy who thinks about crucial breakthroughs, match ups, crunch situations. A guy who would want to take wickets of smith and labu or a de Villiers and Faf, Williamson and taylor rather than 5 fers. Also a cricketer with razor sharp mind. When he talks it may feel like he is a show off, but I think it's just the way he is. A total nerd.

Sorry but when his bowling average in SENA is 38 (even Jadeja has a better average), it doesn't really matter how cerebral he is or all the tall claims he makes about working out batsmen. Yes he got Smith out thrice in the last Australia series but he is yet to have a match winning bowling performance in SENA. Not 3 and 4 wicket hauls but 5-fers in an inning and 10-er in a match.

 

Anyone else making such claims after such a poor record will and should be mocked, not respected for being a thinking bowler. He's an ATG but should acknowledge his below par SENA performances, which clearly isn't the case.

 

[vvvslaxman]

 

3 hours ago, gooner said:

Some people are the way they are. Ashwin for me as always been a guy who thinks about crucial breakthroughs, match ups, crunch situations. A guy who would want to take wickets of smith and labu or a de Villiers and Faf, Williamson and taylor rather than 5 fers. Also a cricketer with razor sharp mind. When he talks it may feel like he is a show off, but I think it's just the way he is. A total nerd.

Had a chance in South Africa. Dropped chances cost him. Besides in SA. He bowled lengthy spells only thrice. Once in 2013 when the last day pitch flattened out. Second one in 2017 where multiple catches were dropped of his bowling. In the other test he bowled 8 overs (7+1) for 2 wickets.  India needed to chase 204 to win the test. ENded up getting bowled for 135. Ashwin 37 runs out of it. If any top order had hung around him India might as well have won that test.