NEWS
Follow UsRavichandran Ashwin had played just three ODI matches in the last six years when he made a comeback for the ODI series against Australia last week on the back of an injury to Axar Patel that subsequently ruled him out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Fate had even better plans for the Tamil Nadu all-rounder as he made it to the World Cup squad, and now he is set to appear in his third ODI World Cup.
“Massive credit to Rohit Sharma and the team management for showing faith in me,” Ashwin told Dinesh Karthik in an interview for Star Sports. “Life is full of surprises. I honestly wasn’t thinking I would be here. I’m happy with the trust the team management has shown, and obviously, circumstances have ensured that I’m here today. But nevertheless, I’ve always maintained that enjoying my game is the prime motive for me over the last four or five years.
Ashwin’s inclusion has ensured that India have all bases covered in the spin-bowling department, with Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja apart from the Tamil Nadu spinner. Ashwin understands the value that he brings to the side while acknowledging that managing pressure and expectations are going to be paramount.
“All you can do is turn the ball both ways and I think that I already have the ability to do that. It’s all about making subtle variations and also dealing with pressure in these sorts of tournaments. I think pressure is of paramount importance to most players in this tournament.
“How you deal with it will probably dictate how the tournament goes for yourself and for the team. As far as I’m concerned, like I said, being in a good space and trying to enjoy the game will hold me in good stead, I reckon.
“I want to enjoy this tournament, and I don’t know, but I’ve kept saying this, this could be my last tournament playing a World Cup for India or something. There have been a lot of surprises over the last few years, so for me going all in and enjoying the tournament is of utmost importance,” the off-spinner concluded.
