The Indian veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin opened up on his possible exclusion from the World Cup 2023 squad. Ashwin is not a part of the ODI setup for a long time now, he got selected in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and has a magical tournament with the ball.
As the much-anticipated ODI World Cup 2023 inches closer, the Indian cricket team is in the process of confirming their lineup for this important event. With the tournament’s near arrival, supporters are excitedly waiting to see which players will gain their spots in the side, trying to shatter India’s record ICC challenges.
Notably, players like Ravichandran Ashwin and numerous others are keen to see whether they will be selected for the squad. Ashwin’s excellent return to the shortest format for the Indian side has fuelled expectations for his prospective return to ODI cricket as well.
However, the seasoned all-rounder recently highlighted that he doesn’t dedicate cerebral attention to such notions. Ashwin further said that he does not give such thoughts any mental space as it is not his job to select the team that will be taking part in the World Cup.
“I don’t think like that, because the selection of the team is not my job. I had decided long back that I would not think about stuff that is not in my hand. I am honestly in a very good space in terms of life and my cricket, and I try to keep negativity away from my thought process,” Ashwin said in an interview with the Times of India.
Ashwin also remarked that he doesn’t have any remaining aspirations left unachieved, but he undoubtedly harbors a strong desire to witness the Indian cricket team earn the World Cup trophy. He also went into an earlier statement he made, reminiscing on a moment when retirement crossed his mind. However, the versatile athlete stated that his contemplation of retirement wasn’t caused by any injury-related factors.
“I think you are connecting two things. I did not consider retirement because of an injury. That was also probably one of the reasons, and I was not sure how I would recover from it because I am not an expert on my body. And then there was some uncertainty around my career, and I was just thinking like that,” Ashwin said.
“It is very easy to think negatively, and that was one phase where I was probably thinking I would not be able to come back from it. It was just a thought, and I just want to clarify that. But right now, I feel I am bowling and batting really well, and I have a lot of experience in my kitty. I am taking one day at a time,” he concluded.
