Indian cricket team spinner Ravichandran Ashwin© AFP
Indian cricket team spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will play his 100th Test match as India take on England in the final game of the five-match series in Dharamsala on Thursday. Ashwin, who is only the second Indian bowler after Anil Kumble to take 500 Test wickets, has been in and out of the team in recent years. India have lacked batting depth in Test cricket and during matches against SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries, Ravindra Jadeja was favoured over the veteran spinner. In a conversation with Kumble on Jio Cinema, Ashwin opened up about his struggles earlier in his career and how he made peace with the doubts surrounding his selection.
“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,” he said.
“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,” he added.
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