5 lessons learnt from India’s tour of West Indies 2017

#3 More questions on Ravichandran Ashwin and not the good ones

Ashwin’s confidence has been hurt

Ravichandran Ashwin was considered as a match-winner in limited overs cricket as well as in Test cricket. However, since the 2015 World Cup, he has found it difficult to influence games like before. Whether it was the change in management or captaincy, or the policy to drop him after one or two matches, it seems like the off spinner's confidence has been dealt a huge blow.

There was a vivid lack of calibre in the Windies batting line-up and yet, Ashwin was ineffective, barring the third ODI where he was exceptional, befuddling the batsmen continuously. Surprisingly, though, he was replaced by Ravindra Jadeja in the fourth ODI. When Ashwin was brought back for the T20 match, he was thrashed all around the park.

This lack of continued trust in Ashwin has had an effect on his self-belief, the most significant trait of his personality. He is no longer the wicket-taking bowler that the captain wants him to be and consequently, has lost his credibility as a match-winner.