“You can never see a hardworking team like India in the world” - R Ashwin makes massive claim while urging positivity from fans ahead of World Cup
Claiming that India is the hardest-working cricket team in the world, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has urged fans to show positivity towards the team as they head into the 2023 World Cup.
Ashwin’s comments on the Indian team come just days after the legendary Kapil Dev hinted in an interview that players from the current team seem to have become arrogant due to the influence of money.
The Indian team is currently in West Indies, preparing for the World Cup which will be played in India in October-November.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin made an earnest request to fans to back the team wholeheartedly as they head into yet another World Cup.
“All the teams come here to win the tournament. If we don’t win the World Cup, then we move on. If we win, we appreciate them. The least I am asking is, when we get into the 2023 World Cup, let us send the team will full of positivity. Winning a World Cup is not easy. All of us are hindsight kings. It’s not that easy. We have qualified for the semi-finals of almost all major events. On that day, we have not been good enough,” Ashwin said.
“What should we do to be good enough on that day? We need lots and lots of positivity. They should feel, “the public has got our back”. They should be able to execute their skill on the particular day. You can never see a hardworking team like India in the world. You should see how hard the players toil in practice sessions, gym and so on,” the 36-year-old added.
One for glory hunting " ICC trophies " fans and former cricketers who spew nonsense on current players. pic.twitter.com/pc5caqmZDS
India beat West Indies by 200 runs in the final ODI against West Indies on Tuesday, August 1 to clinch the series 2-1.
“It is very easy to pass comments sitting from outside” - Ashwin on India not winning the ICC event
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin also took a dig at critics and trolls, who keep reminding the team that they haven’t won an ICC event in 10 years.
Stating that making random statements is no big deal, the 36-year-old said:
“It is very easy to pass comments sitting from outside. It hurts me to see some of the comments. Do you know how hard the players work? So, we can spread positivity for these hardworking cricketers. Automatically, the results will take care of itself. Even if we don’t win, let’s continue to support our team and encourage them to play better.”
Ashwin also went on to list India’s achievements in ICC events and added that people should be proud of how the team has progressed over the years.
“We won the World Cup in 2011, Champions Trophy in 2013, but we haven’t won an ICC trophy in 10 years. Before every tournament, people say, “India hasn’t won an ICC tournament for a long time. We won in 1983, 2007, 2011 and 2013. We should be proud of how far we have come as a cricketing nation. Let us assimilate positivity into our team. This is an earnest request,” the off-spinner concluded.
India will begin their 2023 World Cup campaign by taking on Australia in Chennai on October 8.