Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant were among the frontrunners for the Test format’s captaincy role when India sought a replacement for Virat Kohli. However, amidst discussions surrounding these four candidates and the future of Indian cricket after Kohli’s departure, there emerged a surprising and underrated name: Ravichandran Ashwin.
Despite Ashwin’s experience in captaincy, his name seldom entered the conversation. Yet, in a candid interview with the Indian Express, Ashwin finally shed light on why he was denied the India captaincy role.
Addressing the label of being an “overthinker” attributed to him by the cricketing world, Ashwin explained that if he had received the same assurance as most other Indian players regarding a consistent place in the playing XI, he would not have been plagued by overthinking or feeling “traumatized” about his role. He criticized those who unfairly labeled him as such.
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R Ashwin expressed, “A lot of people marketed me and positioned me that I am an overthinker. A person who will get 15-20 matches on the go doesn’t have to be mentally overthinking. A person who knows that they will get only two games will be traumatized and will be overthinking because it’s my job. It’s my journey.”
He further added, “So this is what suits me. If somebody is going to tell me, ‘you’re going to play 15 matches, you will be looked after, you will be this, you are responsible for players, you are in the leadership role,’ I won’t be overthinking. Why would I? It’s unfair to actually say somebody’s an overthinker because that person’s journey is his own. And nobody has a right or business to do that.”
When asked if this label had worked against him, Ashwin candidly discussed the plot to deny him the India leadership role and the opinions of veteran cricketers who believed his name wouldn’t be at the top of the list for overseas Tests.
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“It was created to work against me, right? And as I said, there have been statements that people have made all along when the leadership question has come my way. There have been people who have been out there saying that my name is not the first name on the sheet when India tours abroad. Whether that name is first on the sheet or not is something I can’t control. If I earned it, it’s got to be there, and that’s my belief. As I said, I have no complaints, I have no time to sit back and throw punches or regret or anything. I have no regrets about anyone,” R Ashwin asserted.
Currently leading the Dindigul Dragons in the ongoing 2023 Tamil Nadu Premier League, Ashwin is set to rejoin the national side next month for the West Indies tour.
