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England Disrespected The Cricketing Gods: Ashwin After India's Oval Win
Follow UsThe former Indian spinner criticised Harry Brook and England for not finishing the game despite being in a strong position
Former Indian spinner R Ashwin criticised Harry Brook and the other England batters quite sternly after they let go of their good position to chase down the target in the fourth innings of the Oval Test and win the series 3-1. Chasing 374, England were 301/3, but they lost their last seven wickets for just 66 runs.
“When he (Brook) walked into the crease at 100/3, England were not in the match at all and when he took those chances against Akash Deep, England were staring down the barrel and a big defeat was reckoning but when he got out it was the moment that Harry Brook could have cherished,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, as quoted by the Indian Express.
“He could have walked outside The Oval with his bat held high along with Joe Root who broke records after records and could have won the series 3-1 for England but he played reckless shot and it was his punished of that was why England lost the match and ended up drawing the series.”
Ashwin further added that the England batters, especially Brook, didn’t complete the responsibility given to them and got out playing reckless shots. The former Indian spinner called it a result of disrespecting the cricketing gods.
“As a captain, as a coach, you can proclaim to the world that this is your brand of cricket. They can say that Brook played the way we wanted him to play. He embraced our beliefs. All of this is easier said than done but Test cricket needs a certain amount of balance,” Ashwin said.
“Yes, I agree that this approach did get you runs in the first innings but in the fourth innings, if you are playing on 100 and the finish line is in sight, then it is your responsibility to see your team through.
“Brook definitely missed that opportunity and it all fell on Root’s shoulders and for India’s good, the conditions also changed, and such things happen when the cricketing gods are disrespected. The way England disrespected the cricketing gods, even the clouds came together, cried on the pitch and allowed the ball to move a lot.”
England’s collapse helped India win the Oval Test by six runs and level the five-Test series 2-2.