Asia Cup 2022: “One thing I've done over the last 14-15 years is to be on the edge” - Ravichandran Ashwin on being in and out of the playing XI

Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has asserted that he keeps himself motivated and ready for any challenge even when he is not part of the playing XI.

The 35-year-old has been in and out of India's first XI across formats over the last few years. He did not feature in the team's first three Asia Cup 2022 matches, but has been picked for Tuesday’s (September 6) must-win game against Sri Lanka.

Speaking to the host broadcaster ahead of the game, Ashwin opened up on his preparations. Asked how he motivates himself even when he is not part of the starting XI, the seasoned off-spinner replied:

“Playing for India doesn’t really need motivation. You just need to wait for your opportunity. The one thing I've done over the last 14-15 years is to be on the edge and be prepared whenever my opportunity turns up. There is no guarantee of the result out there, but at least you can be best prepared from a cricketer’s perspective."

Ashwin added that when sitting outside, players sometimes get a bird's eye view of things. He explained:

“For me, it’s important to stay upbeat, stay well-prepared and go and execute my skills to the best of my abilities.”

He admitted that the match against Sri Lanka is crucial in the context of India’s Asia Cup’s fortunes. However, Ashwin preferred to look at the bigger positives ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. He elaborated:

“Every game is a crucial game in a tournament like this. Not a lot of teams get a tournament like this before a T20 World Cup. You're up against some of the best teams in Asia.

"Also, playing a knockout game is something that’s going to come in handy later in the year. So we want to be upbeat and treat every game same as the previous one. Nevertheless, it’s a very important one.”

Having gone down against Pakistan in their first Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 match, India will need to beat Sri Lanka to stay in contention for a place in the final.

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“It was a phenomenal game of cricket” - Ravichandran Ashwin on India-Pakistan Super 4 match

Speaking about India’s loss to Pakistan, Ashwin admitted that it was a disappointing result. He, however, gave credit to Pakistan and stated that they were the deserved winners.

The off-spinner commented:

“Any India-Pakistan game is extremely important from a fan's perspective and a team's perspective. When you lose, you're always going to be criticized, but when you win you're going to be put on a pedestal. It was a phenomenal game of cricket. You cannot go back and say this was wrong, we could have done this.

“Obviously, there are areas we can get better at and improve on. But that was a high-quality game of cricket. The way Pakistan played, credit is due. They played some wonderful cricket and were deserved winners on that night. We also had a fantastic game until the last over.”

Ashwin has featured in 54 T20Is for India, claiming 64 wickets at an average of 21.53 and an economy rate of 6.78.