Team India‘s seasoned spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, expressed his heartbreak over the team’s historic home Test series defeat to New Zealand. The Blackcaps made history by becoming the first team to whitewash India in a three-match series on home soil.
Reflecting on the loss, Ashwin admitted that he was unsure how to respond to the disappointing outcome. Describing it as a devastating experience, he shared his thoughts in a video posted on his YouTube channel (from 0:07):
“After the last video, I didn’t have the heart to post a video. We have been hit by a 3-0 loss by New Zealand. I read somewhere that it has never happened in India in history. I don’t know how to respond or react to it.”
“I know that in my career and in my experience in cricket, we don’t have so many emotions when we play. But it’s a very shattering experience. That’s the right word for it. I didn’t know how to respond or react to it for the last 2-3 days. Sometimes, we face defeats. It’s not that we don’t lose. We have lost a lot in our cricket life.”
Ashwin also stressed that losing a series shouldn’t be a major worry, as believing in one’s invincibility is the wrong mindset. He suggested that taking some time to reflect on the defeat would provide him with better clarity on what went wrong, adding (from 2:10):
“Losing is okay. Nobody is invincible. Our first mistake is to think we are invincible. I don’t think like that. After 20 days, when we reflect, we will have clarity. I expect closure. There should be a conclusion. Only if there is a conclusion, we can learn from it. There is no finish line. It’s only a starting line for the next what you do.”
Ravichandran Ashwin was anticipated to dominate in the three-match Test series against New Zealand, thanks to his exceptional record in Indian conditions. However, his performance was below expectations, as he ended the series with just nine wickets from six innings.
“Nobody should engage in character assassination”- Ravichandran Ashwin on fans’ reactions to India’s whitewash defeat
Ravichandran Ashwin also addressed the backlash from fans after India’s series whitewash. He emphasized that it was unfair to claim that the players weren’t disappointed with the outcome.
Ashwin mentioned that the players were more hurt than the fans and urged supporters to refrain from attacking the players’ character. The 38-year-old shared these thoughts in the video at (13:09):
“It was difficult for me to see how people reacted. How did they react? Everyone should apologize, apparently Sir, this is a sport. This is a sport. I just want to say one thing. Everyone was hurt. As Indian cricket fans, everyone was hurt. But let me promise you this. No one can be hurt as much as a player in the dressing room. No chance.”
“So, doubting the hurt is criminal. It’s a criminal offence. You didn’t do it. It’s not good enough. Always accept it. Because players make careers and their careers are broken by what they do on the field. So, I believe that character assassination shouldn’t be done by anyone,” he added.
Ravichandran Ashwin is set to tour Australia for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. For India to qualify for the World Test Championship 2023-25 final on their own, they must win the five-match series 4-0.
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