Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin of India has stated that he has no issues with Rohit Sharma not playing him in the 2023 World Cup final. In an interview with former Indian cricketer S Badrinath on his YouTube channel. Ashwin stated that he was aware of Rohit’s preparations for the final game against Australia.
The Indian spinner claimed that although Rohit Sharma would have given the playing combination a hundred thought, he had no reason to alter the winning lineup that had performed so admirably throughout the competition.
Ashwin feels no resentment towards Rohit Sharma for not including him in the 2023 World Cup final
“As far as I am concerned, I am 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 3 spinners?” Ashwin said while speaking to S Badrinath.
Ashwin took one wicket for 34 runs while playing India’s opening game in Chennai against Australia. Because of Ahmedabad’s slow wickets, the spinner was benched after the first game but remained in the running for the championship. However, India captain Sharma chose not to start Ashwin and did not alter his lineup, which had performed admirably for six straight games.
“Honestly, I was able to understand the thought process of Rohit Sharma. 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“. 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 concluded.
The spinner also spoke about the pitch controversy in the semi-final and final of the tournament. Ashwin said that India did not demand pitches according to their preference, but both teams had their say on what surface they wanted to play in beforehand. Ashwin further added that ground staff and ICC had the final call on the pitches to be used for the match.
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