Before his last World Cup campaign, the iconic Ravichandran Ashwin faced severe criticism on social media from a former Indian cricketer who labelled him as a “fool” and “unfit.” Ravichandran Ashwin is gearing up for what he has stated will be his final World Cup campaign with the Indian team. His recent journey in white-ball cricket has been quite unexpected.
He was a late inclusion in the T20 World Cup squads in 2021 and 2022, taking the place of Washington Sundar due to injury, and he replaced the injured Axar Patel in the eleventh hour for the 2023 ODI World Cup. Despite playing only four ODIs in the past six years, with two of them occurring last week, 20 months apart from the other two, the Indian team management has shown confidence in Ashwin’s experience for this significant home tournament.
However, prior to the World Cup, a former Indian cricketer criticized the legendary bowler on social media, branding him as a “fool” and “unfit.”
Ravichandran Ashwin is included in India’s World Cup team
As eager cricket enthusiasts anxiously awaited a weather update in the evening for the India vs. England World Cup warm-up match in Guwahati, former Indian spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan triggered their frustration. He launched a harsh critique of Ashwin on social media, alleging that the off-spinner’s wicket tally in India is due to pitch manipulation in his favour and went so far as to label him a liability.
Sivaramakrishnan’s outburst was initiated when a post on the social media platform listed the World Cup commentators. The 57-year-old responded by stating that there wasn’t a single authentic spinner on the commentary panel and criticized it as a “dismal combination.”
Not one genuine spinner in the commentary panel that is being played in India. How will people get educated on spin bowling. Does it mean only batsmen and some colour commentators know the game. Pathetic mix
— Laxman Sivaramakrishnan (@LaxmanSivarama1) September 30, 2023
When it was mentioned to him that former West Indies cricketer Samuel Badree is also on the list of commentators, Sivaramakrishnan replied with: “West Indies are not even playing, who is he representing, what logic.”
The conversation shifted dramatically when one of the comments suggested that pitches in India are made to be flat because Indian batsmen struggle against spin.
It was at this point that Sivaramakrishnan launched his scathing criticism of Ashwin, stating: “Indian batsman [sic] are struggling against spin because the pitches in India are doctored for Ashwin in Test matches. Look at his record in SENA Countries.”
Ashwin was slated to participate in the warm-up match scheduled for Saturday, but it was cancelled due to rain, preventing any play. India’s last warm-up game is set for October 2 against the Netherlands in Thiruvananthapuram.
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