Sri lanka series was a rest, says Ravichandran Ashwin

While Ravichandran Ashwin has cemented his spot accurately in the Indian Test side, his selection in the colored jersey has always been in doubt. Team India have played as much as 40 One Day Internationals in the past one year but Ravichandran Ashwin has only been a part of 15 of those. It should be taken into notice that his performance in the limited overs have not been up to the mark and the master of the carrom ball has faced immense criticism recently.

Though Ashwin made it to the ICC Champions Trophy squad successfully, he was not included in the starting line up for the first two games. His display with the ball in the Champions Trophy final was slammed by the fans as well as the pundits as Pakistani opener Fakhar Zaman tore him apart. Ashwin’s exclusion from the ODI squad in the ongoing Sri Lanka tour has raised a lot of questions in the minds of the fans regarding his importance in the team’s future plans.

What Ashwin said:

However, Ashwin made it clear that he has been rested for the series and has opted to play county cricket instead to bolster his experience. Speaking to Cricinfo about the issue he said “It’s not just about next year,” Ashwin told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s always been a dream to play county cricket. I grew-up watching it on TV in India and it has always meant a lot. Spinners have come before and told me it is a must-do experience. I was being rested from a series [against Sri Lanka], so I thought I might as well come here to get experience.”

“But yes, next year was in the back of my mind and the back of the mind of the team management back home. With the pace with which the international cricket calendar is set-up, you don’t have a long time to prepare. That might even cost you a Test match. So these experiences can be banked upon and, if you can learn faster – which I pride myself upon – the results can come a bit faster,” he added.

Ashwin mentioned that he might be asked to feature for India in the One Day Internationals against Australia. “I could be called to play in the Australia series,” Ashwin said “But I have indicated to Bumpy [Steve Rhodes, the Worcestershire direct of cricket] that I will be available for all four games. As of now, there are no communication channels open but they will be short so I’ll probably get a clearer idea after the Sri Lanka series.” he concluded.