'It's not a setback, I will move on...': Ravi Ashwin breaks silence on WTC Final omission saga

Ravi Ashwin, the number one ranked bowler in Tests, didn't make it to the final XI against Australia in the WTC Final, and it's fair to say it raised a few eyebrows. As India lost its second straight WTC Final, this time by 209 runs, Ashwin's surprise exclusion triggered a debate among fans on social media over BCCI's move to play four seamers and Ravindra Jadeja as the lone spinner.

India's most successful off-spinner in this format, Ashwin, opened up on his exclusion saga, revealing he knew about this decision two days before the start of the WTC Final. In a conversation with the Indian Express and the Hindu, the veteran bowler admitted taking the development as a stumbling block, not a setback.

He further explains that it's not the first time when he missed a crucial game for India, especially in SENA countries. Ashwin didn't feature in the final XI in all five Tests on the previous tour to England in 2021/22, having last played in the UK during the maiden WTC Final against New Zealand in Southampton, where he returned with figures of four for 45 across two innings.

"For me, it's not a setback," Ashwin told the Indian Express and Hindu. "It's just a stumbling block, I'll move on because I have gone through that. When somebody knocks you down for the first time, you have a knee-jerk reaction. I think you should be knocked down once in a while along your life so that you are used to it and will know how to bounce back. That's what life is. Whether you are at your peak or not, it is still a setback. The fact that you need to learn how to deal with it is very important," the veteran spinner added.

'I'd have loved to play...'

Ashwin added he would have loved to play because he contributed towards helping India reach this position. Adding since the past four-five years, his overseas bowling improved by heaps and bounds as he managed to win games for his country.

"I would have loved to play because I have played a part in us getting there. Even in the last final, I got four wickets and bowled really well. Ever since 2018-19, my bowling overseas has been fantastic, and I have managed to win games for the team. I am looking at it as a captain or coach, and I'm just talking in hindsight, in their defence."

"So the last time when we were in England, it was 2-2 with a drawn Test, and they would have felt four pacers and one spinner is the combination in England. That is what they might have thought going into the final. The problem is for a spinner to come into play, it must be the fourth innings. The fourth innings is a very crucial facet, and for us to be able to put that amount of runs so the spinner can come into play, it's completely a mindset thing," Ashwin added.

While he revealed knowing about team management's final decision on the playing XI against Australia, Ashwin admitted being more chill about his things at a bigger front than he used to be.

"I'm a lot more chilled than I used to be. A lot more relaxed in my life than I ever have been. Sitting here today, I realise how much of a toll it had taken on me mentally to the point where I was traumatised. But I am very glad to have come through that and discovered a new me," Ashwin said.

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