“I was mentally prepared to play, but I was also prepared to not play” - Ravichandran Ashwin opens up on WTC 2023 final snub

Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has admitted that he was mentally prepared to play the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against Australia at The Oval. At the same time, he stated that he was prepared to deal with things in case he was left out of the playing XI as well.

India’s decision to drop No.1-ranked Test bowler Ashwin from the WTC 2023 final received plenty of criticism. It was not the first time that the premier bowler had been left out from an overseas Test. The disapproval over the Indian management’s decision grew following India’s 209-run loss in the final to Australia.

Ashwin made a comeback to the playing XI when India took on West Indies on Day 1 of the first Test at Windsor Park in Dominica on Wednesday. The 36-year-old made an immediate impact, claiming 5/60 - his 33rd five-wicket haul in Tests.

Speaking to the media after the end of the day’s play, he opened up on how he dealt with the WTC final disappointment.

"I've spoken about it. It's very tough as a cricketer when you have a WTC final and end up sitting out. All that is fine. But what is the difference between me and another person if I also end up sulking in the dressing room. When we went to the WTC final, I was mentally prepared to play. I had prepared physically and mentally, planned for the game, everything. But, I was also prepared to not play the game,” Ashwin stated.

Admitting that he did feel disappointed at not being part of the big clash, the seasoned off-spinner added that all he can do is give his best when the opportunity arises.

"If I'm not playing, how do I respond? How do I make sure the dressing room is really up and about? Winning the WTC final is the most important thing, it could be a very high point in my career and I would have played a good role in it. It was just unfortunate, it didn't pan out. The first day just left us too much behind in the shed. All I'd like to give to my teammates and Indian cricket as a whole is some understanding and my best efforts on the field and I'd like to leave it at that," Ashwin added.

India picked left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Ashwin as the lone spinner in the playing XI for the WTC final.

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“We utilized the first session very well” - Ashwin

Ashwin proved too good for West Indies on Day 1 of the Dominica Test. He spun a web around the hosts and went on to claim his 33rd five-wicket haul in Tests, going past James Anderson. The off-spinner also completed 700 international scalps in the process.

Reflecting on his performance, Ashwin said:

"There was some bounce from the wicket, especially from the pavilion end. The wicket had some slope also which gave us bounce. But we utilized the first session very well. The wicket had some moisture and it was coming off it very well. As you saw, they showed a graphic that it was turning more [in the second session], but the turn was very slow. But in the first session, there was bounce, and pace off was good, there was bite. We utilized it very well.”

He added:

“The way [Jermaine] Blackwood got out just before Lunch, the momentum shifted completely to us. I also thought, Jaiswal and Rohit batted very well to give us a very dominant day on Day 1.”

After bowling out West Indies for 150, India went to stumps at 80/0 after 23 overs.