India off Spinner R. Ashwin on making 'peace' with disappointments
There is no doubt that R. Ashwin is one of India's biggest match-winners in Test cricket since Anil Kumble. He has found himself out of the XI so many times that it almost became inevitable in the last few years.
Ashwin pours his heart out in an interview with Anil Kumble. Ashwin, as articulative as he always is, explained his feelings beautifully in an interview with the legendary Kumble.
Anil Kumble asked Ashwin, “I absolutely believe your 100th Test match should have come much earlier. That’s how I feel because every time India goes out and plays in England, Australia, South Africa, or New Zealand, you have not played enough. The batters are the same; they tend to adapt to any condition, but as a leading bowler, they sort of doubt your credentials for adapting to any condition. So how does that feel?”
To this, Ashwin replied, “I don’t want to sound controversial. I can compare this to a lot of other things that are happening in the world right now. But I genuinely do feel that bowlers play second-fiddle to the batters. That’s because, probably, batters just get that one chance. I mean, you are knocked out; you are out. This used to play on my mind constantly: Why is it that I get one game to fail, and why is it that somebody else gets more games to fail? Eventually, I have made peace with the fact that the team needs to win. Even when I am not playing and the team wins after five days, I am the most delighted person in the dressing room. When I was young, all I wanted to do was wear the India jersey for one day. Just because of who I am today, I cannot put my selfish interests ahead of the team. Yes, there have been disappointing days, but I have learned how to deal with them, and I am extremely happy that I played alongside some of the greatest cricketers that India has ever produced.”