Asia Cup 2022: “I myself was a fan before becoming a member of the Indian cricket team” - Ravichandran Ashwin empathizes with disappointed supporters

Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has conceded that the Men in Blue did not put up a good showing in the recently concluded Asia Cup in the UAE. He also shared the pain of Indian supporters, stating that he himself was a fan before becoming a member of the national team.

India failed to reach the final of the Asia Cup, going down to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super 4 round. They did defeat Afghanistan, but it was a case of too little, too late.

Following India’s exit from the T20 tournament, many fans expressed their disappointment on social media. Some even raised questions about the team’s ability to perform in multi-nation events.

Sharing his thoughts on India’s campaign in the UAE, Ashwin said on his YouTube channel:

“Obviously, the Asia Cup didn’t go well for India. There is a lot of disappointment from a fan’s perspective. There is some criticism that India don’t do well in multi-nation tournaments. I can understand the disappointment. I myself was a fan before becoming a member of the Indian cricket team.

"I have been part of World Cup-winning teams and also sides that have been knocked out. I am perfectly able to understand both sides of the story.”

The 35-year-old, however, defended India’s performance in multi-nation events, claiming that they have done well since the start of 2000s. Ashwin elaborated:

“Yes, we didn’t qualify for the semis of the last T20 World Cup. And we couldn’t qualify for the final of this Asia Cup. But as a country, since the start of 2000s, India have done really well at ICC events. How it pans out on the day is an important aspect. I am not giving this as an excuse, but many positives came out of the Asia Cup.”

India began their Asia Cup campaign with a five-wicket win over Pakistan in a thrilling match. However, they failed to come up with the goods in the Super 4 round.

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“Cricket has been a relief for them” - Ashwin on Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup glory amid turmoil in country

While India’s Asia Cup journey began on a high and then faded away, the case was exactly the opposite for Sri Lanka. They suffered an eight-wicket humiliation against Afghanistan in the tournament opener, but did not lose another game and went on to lift the title.

Praising Sri Lanka’s spectacular fightback, Ashwin said:

“To have a successful campaign, you need every single person from the team performing when it matters most. Bhanuka Rajapaksa, what a knock he played in the final. He has been proving time and again that he is the real deal.

"A glorious campaign for Sri Lanka given the country is going through so much turmoil. Cricket has been a relief for them. Dasun Shanaka and his team have encapsulated that.”

Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 23 runs in the Asia Cup 2022 final. Batting first, they posted 170 for six as Bhanuka Rajapaksa top-scored with an unbeaten 71 off 45 balls. Pramod Madushan (4/34) and Wanindu Hasaranga (3/27) then combined to restrict Pakistan to 147.