“Was able to understand the thought process of Rohit Sharma” - Ravichandran Ashwin on not playing the 2023 World Cup final
Experienced Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has stated that he understood the thinking behind skipper Rohit Sharma not picking him in the playing XI for the 2023 World Cup final against Australia. Ashwin admitted that had he been in Rohit’s place, he would have thought 100 times before changing a winning combination.
The 37-year-old spinner played India's opening match of the World Cup against Australia in Chennai. He was benched for the subsequent games. Ahead of the final against the Aussies, reports started doing the rounds that India might go in with an extra spinner in Ashwin and drop a pacer, considering the slow nature of the surface in Ahmedabad. Eventually, though, India decided against changing their winning combination.
Speaking to former India batter S Badrinath on his YouTube channel, Ashwin backed Rohit’s decision and commented:
"As far as I am concerned, I playing the final, team combination and all that is secondary. Firstly, it's about empathy, I keep stressing it a lot. It's about standing in someone else's shoes and looking at things from his/her viewpoint. If I had been in Rohit's shoes, I would have thought 100 times about changing the combination. It was going very well for the team. Why would I rest a fast bowler and play three spinners?"
“Honestly, I was able to understand the thought process of Rohit Sharma,” he emphasized.
The off-spinner registered figures of 1/34 in 10 overs in India’s 2023 World Cup opening encounter against Australia in Chennai.
“Was prepared to cheer for the team and run in with electral” - Ashwin
Apart from the Ahmedabad pitch, pacer Mohammed Siraj’s inconsistent form was another reason why reports of Ashwin being in contention for the final started doing the rounds. The latter admitted that he was excited over the prospect of featuring in the final. At the same time, he was prepared to carry drinks as well.
“Playing the final is a big opportunity. I was preparing for it for 3 days in the lead-up. I was not replying to a lot of people. I read only the ticker of WhatsApp messages and kept my phone away," Ashwin said.
"I was preparing myself well for the opportunity. At the same time, I was prepared to cheer for the team and run in with electral if I didn't get the opportunity. I was mentally prepared for that too," the spinner added.
Team India went down to Australia by six wickets in the 2023 World Cup final. Batting first, they posted 240, a total the Aussies chased in 43 overs.