Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is India’s leading wicket-taker in Test cricket with 474 wickets in 92 matches at an average of 23.93. He is also the number one bowler in the ICC Test Ranking but inexplicably he didn’t find a place in the playing XI of Rohit Sharma’s side for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia at the Oval in London last week.
India succumbed to a 209-run loss in the WTC Final to Australia on Sunday, their second successive defeat in the title clash after losing to New Zealand back in 2022. After the match, Ashwin remained dignified in defeat and praised the victorious Australian side and also ‘acknowledged’ the contribution of his teammates who helped India reach the final.
“Congratulations Australia on winning this #WTCFinal and closing out this cycle of test cricket. It is disappointing to end up on the wrong side of things, nevertheless it was a great effort over the last 2 years or so to get here in the first place,” Ashwin tweeted.
“Amidst all the chaos and scathing assessments, i feel it’s very important to acknowledge all my team mates who played in this cycle and most importantly the coaching and support staffs who have held on like a rock of support,” the off-spinner’s tweet added.
Congratulations Australia on winning this #WTCFinal and closing out this cycle of test cricket. It is disappointing to end up on the wrong side of things, nevertheless it was a great effort over the last 2 years or so to get here in the first place.
Amidst all the chaos and_
— Ashwin __ (@ashwinravi99) June 11, 2023
Ashwin was the leading wicket-taker for India in the WTC 2021-23 cycle with 61 wickets at an average of 19.67 with two five-wicket hauls. The next best for India was Jasprit Bumrah with 45 wickets at an average of 19.73. The Tamil Nadu off-spinner was also the third highest wicket-taker over in the WTC 2021-23 cycle.
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has questioned the omission of the world’s top-ranked Test bowler Ravichandran Ashwin from Team India’s playing XI against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2023 at The Oval.
“I fail to understand the exclusion of @ashwinravi99 in the playing XI, who is currently the number one Test bowler in the world,” Sachin wrote on Twitter.
Congratulations to Team Australia on winning the #WTCFinal. @stevesmith49 and @travishead34 set a solid foundation on Day one itself to tilt the game in their favour. India had to bat big in the first innings to stay in the game, but they couldn't. There were some good moments_
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 11, 2023
“Like I had mentioned before the match, skilful spinners don't always rely on turning tracks, they use drift in the air and bounce off the surface to disguise their variations. Not to forget, Australia had 5 left-handers out of their top 8 batters,” said Tendulkar.
