A lot of people marketed me and positioned me that I am an overthinker: Ravichandran Ashwin

Australia clinched the World Test Championship for the 2021-2023 cycle after defeating India by 209 runs. Off-spinner Nathan Lyon starred in the fourth innings as he dismissed four Indian batters. India's premier off-spinner and the No. 1 bowler in the ICC Test rankings, Ravichandran Ashwin, however, had to sit out and watch his team's insipid performance as he was not picked in the playing XI.

The Chennai-born spinner lambasted people for tagging him as an 'overthinker' in an interview with The Indian Express. Ashwin explained that if he had been given the assurance that he would get to play regularly for India, he would not have had to overthink.

"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 traumatised and will be overthinking because it’s my job. It’s my journey. 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."

Ravichandran Ashwin opens up on not being considered for India's Test captaincy role

When Virat Kohli relinquished Test captaincy, Rohit Sharma took up the responsibility. Rohit pipped the likes of Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravichandran Ashwin. According to the 36-year-old, being tagged as an overthinker has worked against him, and also, the fact that some veteran cricketers opined he would struggle to find a place in the playing XI in overseas Tests did not help his cause when India's Test captaincy role was being decided.

"It was created to work against me, right? And as I said, there have been statements that people have made all along when leadership question has come my way, there have been people who are being out there telling, my name is not the first name on the sheet when India tour 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," he said.

Ashwin is currently playing in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, where he is representing the Dindigul Dragons. India are set to play two Tests against West Indies in the Caribbean in July, where Ashwin will be looking to add to his 474 wickets in the format.