'Why somebody else gets more games to fail and I get only one?': R Ashwin on making 'peace' with disappointments

[rollingstoned]

'Why somebody else gets more games to fail and I get only one?': R Ashwin on making 'peace' with disappointments

 

India vs England 5th Test in Dharamsala: Before his 100th Test, Ashwin poured his heart out in an interview with Anil Kumble.

 

 

India's Ravichandran Ashwin speaks during a press conference in Dharamsala(AFP)

 

 

 

Reinventing himself is the only constant in Ravichandran Ashwin's life. Arguably one of India's biggest match-winners in Test cricket since Anil Kumble, Ashwin has found himself out of the XI so many times that it almost became inevitable in the last few years. It is tempting to use the phrase for "reasons known to the team management" to badger the captain and the coach but that is actually not the case. India have always lacked batting depth when touring SENA countries and it so happens that the 'better batter' between India's two champion spinners - Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin - gets the nod.

 

 

Another school of thought would tell you that Jadeja gives more control to the captain, allowing him to rotate his three or four seamers from the other end without even thinking of leaking runs. This is debatable. There is a difference of 0.2 in Ashwin's overall economy rate and his economy in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia. He goes at 2.81 runs per over in SENA countries compared to his overall economy rate of 2.79.

 

 

Jadeja, on the other hand, concedes 2.66 runs per over in SENA countries while maintaining an average of 37.23. Ashwin's average in SENA countries is 39.26. There's hardly anything to choose between the two as a spin-bowler in overseas conditions. It is Jadeja's batting that calls the shots, at least that's what the numbers suggest.

Ashwin has a slight issue with that factor only. Ahead of his milestone 100th Test match which will be against England in Dharamsala, the fastest Indian to claim 500 Test wickets, says he has made peace with the fact that bowlers will always play second fiddle to batters when it comes to getting more chances to fail.

Ashwin pours his heart out in an interview with Anil Kumble

Ashwin, as articulative as he always is, explained his feelings beautifully in an interview with the legendary Kumble on Jio Cinema.

Anil Kumble: “I absolutely believe your 100th Test match should have come much earlier. That’s how I feel because every time India go out and play in England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, you have not played enough. The batters are the same, they tend to adapt to any condition but as a leading bowler, they sort of doubt your credentials of adapting to any condition. So how does that feel?”

R Ashwin: “I don’t want to sound controversial. I can compare this to a lot of other things that are happening in the world right now. But I genuinely do feel that bowlers play second-fiddle to the batters. That’s because probably, batters just get that one chance. I mean you are knocked out; you are out. This used to play on my mind constantly: Why is it that I get one game to fail and why is it that somebody else gets more games to fail? Eventually I have made peace with the fact that the team needs to win. Even when I am not playing and the team wins after five days, I am the most delighted person in the dressing room. When I was young, all I wanted to do was wear the India jersey for one day. Just because of who I am today, I cannot put my selfish interest ahead of the team. Yes, there have been disappointing days, but I have learnt how to deal with it, and I am extremely happy that I played alongside some of the great cricketers that India has ever produced.”

 

 

[vvvslaxman]

In terms of gentlemanship Kumble is in stark contrast with Bhajji. He enjoys the success of others from his country. He always wished Ashwin well.

[putrevus]

9 minutes ago, vvvslaxman said:

In terms of gentlemanship Kumble is in stark contrast with Bhajji. He enjoys the success of others from his country. He always wished Ashwin well.

Did Kumble wish Bhajji also well when he was taking his spot away from world cup playing XI.

 

You are making it sound like Bhajji does not like Ashwin to succeed.

Edited March 5 by putrevus

[vvvslaxman]

5 minutes ago, putrevus said:

Did Kumble wish Bhajji also well when he was taking his spot away from world cup playing XI.

 

You are making it sound like Bhajji does not like Ashwin to succeed.

yes. Bhajji does. not. He has implied it in so many ways by ganging up against Ashwin along with Yuvi.

[Tillu]

Did Ashwin replace Bhajji during Srinivasan's tenure as the BCCI president. Is that the reason why he always disses Ashwin calling him an ordinary bowler outside spinning pitches.

[putrevus]

47 minutes ago, vvvslaxman said:

yes. Bhajji does. not. He has implied it in so many ways by ganging up against Ashwin along with Yuvi.

I think you are being harsh.All he said was Ashwin was getting bowler friendly conditions which was not wrong.

 

2000s was the decade India played on mostly flat wickets at home.

 

All Indian batsmen made merry along with some overseas batsman too.

[vvvslaxman]

32 minutes ago, Tillu said:

Did Ashwin replace Bhajji during Srinivasan's tenure as the BCCI president. Is that the reason why he always disses Ashwin calling him an ordinary bowler outside spinning pitches.

Both played 4 tests together

 Ashwin completely outboqled,outbatted him. Also took the LOI spot. In addition to that Yuvi and Ashwin had an incident when Ashwin was the PKXI captain. There is a reason why he earned the nick Jealousbhajan

[Tillu]

12 minutes ago, vvvslaxman said:

Both played 4 tests together

 Ashwin completely outboqled,outbatted him. Also took the LOI spot. In addition to that Yuvi and Ashwin had an incident when Ashwin was the PKXI captain. There is a reason why he earned the nick Jealousbhajan

 

Hayden called him an obnoxious weed. He is constantly in conflict with everyone. He also involved Sachin in the monkeygate scandal.

[putrevus]

15 minutes ago, vvvslaxman said:

Both played 4 tests together

 Ashwin completely outboqled,outbatted him. Also took the LOI spot. In addition to that Yuvi and Ashwin had an incident when Ashwin was the PKXI captain. There is a reason why he earned the nick Jealousbhajan

Bhajji was at the end of his career and Ashwin was starting,That is the interperation of people .

 

Bhajji was a fighter who did very well for India in all formats.

[vvvslaxman]

4 minutes ago, putrevus said:

Bhajji was at the end of his career and Ashwin was starting,That is the interperation of people .

 

Bhajji was a fighter who did very well for India in all formats.

Character has nothing to do with performance. Kumble never made such remarks. That is the point.

[putrevus]

1 minute ago, vvvslaxman said:

Character has nothing to do with performance. Kumble never made such remarks. That is the point.

Speaking his mind does not make Bhajji a bad guy.

[TellTheTruth]

Ashwin seems like a cool guy but his fans are hyper sensitive like bhuveneshwar kumar fans. He has got 500 wickets at an 23 which is great, but its very fair for critics to point out he averages 40 in SENA pitches and has bowled mostly on favorable tracks against weak teams of spin, his contemporaries jadeja, axar and yadav have also done well on the same pitches vs the same opposition.

[putrevus]

I can understand the frustation of Ashwin  unable to play more tests away in SENA.He would have played so many more matches if India had better all round team.

[Cloud9]

1 hour ago, TellTheTruth said:

Ashwin seems like a cool guy but his fans are hyper sensitive like bhuveneshwar kumar fans. He has got 500 wickets at an 23 which is great, but its very fair for critics to point out he averages 40 in SENA pitches and has bowled mostly on favorable tracks against weak teams of spin, his contemporaries jadeja, axar and yadav have also done well on the same pitches vs the same opposition.

Spot on! I love Ashwin but my god his fans behave like cult.

[putrevus]

Wonderful PC

 

Well deserved for a ATG cricketer .He also understands why Jadeja was picked over him.

Edited March 5 by putrevus

[bowl_out]

2 hours ago, putrevus said:

Speaking his mind does not make Bhajji a bad guy.

 

The problem is that his mind is full of venom

[The Realist]

"Why somebody else gets more games to fail and I get only one?'

 

Shots fired at Yuv Chahal? @velu

[tapandrun]

Do not think there is any bad blood between Bhaji and Ashwin, all sportsman think their era was tough and superior and the people coming after them had it easy.

 

Rules changes, condition changes, equipment changes, Bhaji could have player 2/3 more years if Ashwin was not there but same could be said about other players too.

 

Many players from that era has same feeling that there were ousted a bit early - Ghambir, Sehwag, RP, Pathan bros, the list to long. 

PPl will always talk about Ashwin's poor show out-side Asia, for a bowler of his caliber he was not a certain in playing 11 and even if he played he was not a wkt taker and would go for runs.

 

Edited March 5 by tapandrun

[ash]

Truth is if Australia had found someone like Jadeja,  they would have also chucked Lyon out years ago or used him only in subcontinents. They did try Agar but he didn’t really click. Ashwin would have reached 600 wickets if Jadeja was not there. 

[StraightDrive26]

A spinner develops by bowling a lot in conditions he is not familiar with. Ashwin wasn't given that opportunity and it is unfair to criticize him based on just his record in SENA. For example compare his performances in Australia from his first tour to the one India played in 2021. He averaged 28 in that series and was instrumental in India winning. He bowled brilliantly in 2018/19 tour to England as well and also in the WTC finals against NZ but was completely ignored for the 2022 Test series. He played only one Test in NZ so will be harsh to judge him on that. The only place he has actually failed to perform is in SA but again you cannot fault him for that as SA has prepared such green tops that spinners are basically useless on such pitches. Jadeja hasn't done any better. The only pitch where there was some spin was in centurion in 2018 where Ashwin bowled very well in the first innings. If not for horrible Indian catching he would have ended up with 6-7 wickets in that innings. I saw some dollies dropped by the Indian fielders. 

 

The biggest advantage that Lyon has over Ashwin is that he knows no matter how he bowls, he will be the lead spinner for Australia. He has that confidence. To be frank on India's last 2 tours to Australia, Lyon was very poor which affected Australia's ability to bowl India out. Ashwin out bowled him at least in 2021 as in 2018 after having a brilliant game in Adelaide he was injured for the rest of the series.