"The tours used to be long, there was more scope for friendship" - Ravichandran Ashwin clarifies his comment about teammates being solely colleagues 

Team India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has rectified his earlier statement where he referred to teammates as "colleagues" in the modern era. The comment stirred up fans and pundits alike who questioned the team's atmosphere and environment.

Ashwin had said in an interview with the Indian Express after the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia:

“This is an era where everybody is a colleague. Once upon a time when cricket was played, all your teammates were friends. Now, they’re colleagues. There’s a big difference because here people are there to advance themselves and to stride ahead of another person sitting to your right or left. So nobody’s got the time to say, ‘okay, boss what are you up to’?"

Ashwin has now remarked that he meant that the cricketing schedule and franchise cricket have reduced the time that players spend together.

He said in an interview with the Times of India:

"What I said and what people are understanding are completely different. What I meant was that earlier, because the tours used to be long, there was more scope for friendship. But these days we are constantly playing --- different formats, different teams. One thing I have always believed is that when you are playing for different teams, it is very difficult to be friends."

While the emergence of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has vastly improved relations between players at the international level, it might have affected the cohesion in the Indian team, to a certain degree.

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"I am not saying friendship doesn't happen, but it is very difficult" - Ravichandran Ashwin

The emergence of specialist players has also led to a much more diverse squad across formats. Ashwin does not dismiss the notion of friendship with squad members but does admit that it has become a complicated process.

"You have to keep that competitive spirit burning to be able to compete. When you play IPL, for three months your (international) teammates end up becoming your opposition. When you play so much for different teams, I am not saying friendship doesn't happen, but it is very difficult," he explained.

Team India squad members were recently divided into clusters in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), and the squads for the WTC final and the tour of the Caribbean have been quite diverse as well.

The ODI setup will spend a lot of time together in the buildup to the World Cup in October-November.