Ashwin interview: R Ashwin exclaims he felt ‘absolutely crushed’ after Ravi Shastri termed Kuldeep Yadav as India’s no.1 overseas spinner

Ashwin interview: R Ashwin felt he was thrown under the bus after Ravi Shastri hailed Kuldeep Yadav as India’s no.1 overseas spinner.

Having completed a decade in Test Cricket for India last month, Ravichandran Ashwin’s gleaming records in the format is evident enough to put him in the list of all-time greats in India’s rich Cricketing history.

Having played mere 81 Tests, the 35-year-old is the second quickest to 400 Test wickets in the history of the game. A testimony to his greatness lies in the fact that since he has made his debut, no other bowler has taken more wickets than him. This, despite some of his immediate competitors- the likes of Nathan Lyon (99 Tests), James Anderson (104 Tests) and Stuart Broad (109 Tests) having played more Tests than him. As far as his dominance at home is concerned, Ashwin is second to none when it comes to spinners.

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So when a person holding a record as impeccable as his, is compared to one who has played mere 7 Tests overall, be it in Tests overseas, one is bound to feel the excruciating prick.

Ashwin interview: R Ashwin felt he was thrown under the bus post India’s maiden Test series victory in Australia

During an interview with EspnCricinfo, India’s premier all rounder Ravichandran Ashwin opened up on a number of issues covering his struggles with injury, to thoughts of him contemplating his retirement at one point in time.

He also shed light on how he felt ‘crushed’ after the then India head coach Ravi Shastri termed Kuldeep Yadav India’s no.1 overseas spinner following the latter’s five-for in Sydney Test in 2019.

Post the draw in Sydney, Team India had created history by defeating the Aussies for the first time in a Test series Down Under.

It was post this massive achievement, that Ravi Shastri had went on to remark that ‘there is a time for everyone (referring to Ashwin’s fitness and injury issues). But now Kuldeep is our frontline number one overseas spinner.’

Although having admitted being happy for his fellow team mate, Ashwin felt he was hard done by and was ‘thrown under the bus’ without getting due recognition for his match winning performance during the first Test in that series in Adelaide.

“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,” said Ashwin.

“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,” he further added.

India’s first win against Australia in that tour (2018/19) came on the back of the six wickets Ashwin had picked during the first Test in Adelaide. India went on to win that Test by 31 runs.