I Find Those Questions Are Really Laughable; Totally At Peace With Life Right Now - Ravichandran Ashwin On His Return To India's White-Ball Team

India’s premier Test off-spinner, R Ashwin says that he leads a contented life, despite having wishes to play white-ball cricket again for his country but not finding a place in the squad anymore.

Ravichandran Ashwin last donned the blue jersey in July 2017, and both he and Ravindra Jadeja were dropped in favour of leg-spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. While Jadeja has made his comeback in the ODI and T20I teams, Ashwin remains overlooked despite impressive performances in the IPL.

After his incredible strides in Test cricket recently, there were plenty of calls for Ravichandran Ashwin to be called back to the T20 team, in view of the home T20 World Cup later this year. However, captain Virat Kohli has, in clear words, said that Washington Sundar has emerged as the first-choice off-spinner in India’s T20 team, and they cannot have two same characteristic bowlers in the side.

The Tamil Nadu off-spinner says that he finds all such questions and speculations about his return to the white-ball setup laughable and is at peace and satisfied with his career at the moment.

“A lot of times people tell these lines on leadership forums that ‘you need to compete with yourself. But I have definitely found the balance and learned in life about how I must be competing with myself and be at complete peace when I am doing that.

“Because when some of these questions are asked about my ODI return, T20I return, white-ball dreams, and all these things, I find those questions are really laughable because I am totally at peace and extremely happy with the life I am leading right now,” Ravichandran Ashwin told India Today.

Given an opportunity anywhere, I would make a game-breaking performance: Ravichandran Ashwin

While he is happy with his place currently, however, the 34-year-old is confident that whenever he is given an opportunity, he will make it count. The Delhi Capitals off-spinner, who is the number 2 ICC Test bowler, will look to strengthen his case further in the upcoming IPL 2021.

“That given an opportunity anywhere, I would make a game-breaking performance which I am almost certain about because of the space I find myself in. What questions people have to ask, what opinions people have, I am not worried about at all. As of now, every single game I play out there in the park, I want to leave a smile on my face and everybody else’s,” the off-spinner added.

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