On a day when the country’s senior-most speedster Ishant Sharma spoke about how “perceptions affected his chances in ODIs”, his Test teammate Ravichandran Ashwin also echoed similar sentiments reminding that he is “no slouch with white ball”.
Ashwin has not played limited overs cricket since the tour of West Indies in 2017 as the team managment preferred wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
“I don’t know, it is a perception... I am no slouch. I’m at home with the white ball too. In the white ball format, my records are not bad like what it is perceived to be. It is out of perception that wrist spinners are required in modern one-day cricket that I am sitting out,” straight-talking off-spinner said when asked about the challenge of concentrating on one format.
He also pointed out that in his last ODI game for the country against the West Indies in North Sound on June 30, 2017 he had returned figures of 3 for 28.
“The last ODI I played, I got 3 for 28. I would always look back at my career and I would like to believe it’s not due to my efforts that I am sitting out (but) it is due to the supply and demand that the team requires,” he said.
Ashwin is happy with his performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he got seven wickets from six games at a decent economy.
“I went and played the Syed Mushtaq Ali (T20 tournament) and I had a decent outing. That’s how I look at it. I am playing cricket and it is not like I need to specialise in one particular format. It is the challenges of the modern day game, I will be looking forward to do whatever I can do best,” explained the 32-year bowler.
Ashwin, captain of the Kings XI team in the IPL, spoke to the media during a promotional here.
On the issue of limiting the workload on India players in the IPL ahead of the World Cup, Ashwin said it’s not easy to look too far ahead.
“I don’t think as a cricketer you can look far ahead about what needs to be done. As a cricketer or as a sportsperson, you just concentrate on what happens today. The franchise has invested money on you. Obviously, it is a massive tournament, everybody plays for pride, everybody wants to perform and excel.”
