Mumbai: With India-Australia series proving to be challenging for both batsmen and bowlers, Ravichandran Ashwin said he was happy with how scores of 250-260 made the series more interesting to watch. “Thankfully, Test cricket has had lot to offer to the bowlers over last year but the white ball cricket has been getting into the mode of bashing around.
Even in the 50-over format, the games have been fluctuating here and there so it was nice to see scores of 250-260 proving to be challenging. I think there needs to be a balance between formats in order to cater different segments of cricketers.”
Constant injuries have pulled back Ashwin’s performance in ODI cricket but Ashwin said he was no slouch in ODIs and records speak for themselves. The mystery spinner said selectors and team management felt that wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are better options because of perceptions.
“I don’t know, it is a perception. I am no slouch. In the white ball format, my records are not bad like what it is perceived to be. It is out of perception that wrist spinners are required in modern one day cricket that I am sitting out,” he said at an event hosted by London-based figurine firm Cricfig – partner of Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals in IPL.
He also pointed out that in his last ODI game for the country against the West Indies back in June, 2017 he had returned with figures of 3 for 28. “The last ODI I played, I got 3 for 28. I would always look back at my career and I would like to believe it’s not due to my efforts that I am sitting out (but) it is due to the supply and demand that the team requires,” he said.
On managing workload in IPL so key players do not get injured for World Cup, Ashwin said players need no reminder that franchise have invested on them and it wasn’t easy to look beyond a tournament. “I don’t think as a cricketer you can look far ahead about what needs to be done and how you can manage it. As a cricketer or as a sportsperson, you just concentrate on what happens today. The franchise has invested money on you.
Obviously, it is a massive tournament, everybody plays for pride, everybody wants to perform and excel.” However he agreed that the workload factor will always stay at the back of their heads. “It definitely stays at the back of the head because it is being spoken about a lot more right now. I am sure the players are responsible enough and more fitness-aware and be able to handle it than they ever were. I don’t think going into the tournament people will be thinking about it but as the tournament pans out and the way it goes for each and every franchise and for each and every player, they will take decisions wisely,” he said.
