India off-spinner Ravi Ashwin has been waiting for an opportunity to get back into the senior playing XI. Long seen as the best spinner in the country, the 31-year-old is no longer the first-choice bowler in limited-overs cricket. That honour now rests with young wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Ashwin, along with Ravindra Jadeja, might have to wait for the Test matches to come around to wear the India jersey again but the veteran off-spinner has not let the latest developments bog him down.
Ashwin played four county matches for Worcestershire in Division Two in England. There, he picked up 20 wickets and also hit 214 runs. Since he didn’t feature in the short-form matches in Sri Lanka, at home against Australia and won’t against New Zealand as well, Ashwin has a lot more time to work on his fitness and develop new aspects of his game. The 31-year-old is embracing the new challenge and is not planning too far ahead.
“I am still playing cricket, very happy doing it,” Ashwin told Sport360° during the launch of Gen-Next Kings’ Cricket Academy at Kings’ School, Al Barsha, in Dubai.
“I have ventured into new things. I went and played in England, new experiences, new things to learn. Wherever I go, there is a lot of learning for me. I am playing Ranji Trophy (India’s first-class tournament) again after a long time. Getting back into the Tamil Nadu dressing room, I have been enjoying it.”
County spells have generally proven to be beneficial for subcontinent cricketers as they get to play in relative anonymity and be on their own while getting back to the basics. Now, Ashwin just wants to play the game and is not keen on making big statements in the press.
“I bowled a lot of long spells (in England). I had to do things on my own. The wickets didn’t come quickly, you need to take time, plan your dismissals. It’s not one precise thing that I learnt and can say from now onwards you can see it. It makes no sense. I am sure you want that sort of a statement from me. But it’s all about taking everything in, trying to see if what you can learn and get better the next day.
“As far as the upcoming season is concerned, I am not taking anything for granted. I am not looking forward to anything. Why should I look forward to anything? I enjoy playing cricket, be it Tests ODIs or T20s. I am not going to make any big statements as such. If I need to do that, I will call the press myself and give statements. As of now, all you can do is enjoy your cricket rather that give all sorts of interviews,” he added.
Quite a welcome for @ashwinravi99 as he walks into auditorium @KingsDubaiUAE for @gennextcricket @GenNextKings academy launch 🏏🏏🏏 #Ashwin pic.twitter.com/dyptFn5gbg
— Sport360° (@Sport360) October 19, 2017
