ICC World Cup 2023: Ravichandran Ashwin Explains His 'Colleagues Not Friends' Comments For India Teammates

India ace Ravichandran Ashwin is known for speaking his mind. Time and again, one has seen the spinner not shying away from expressing his opinion on any matter. And recently, he left the fans stunned with his revelation about the current Indian team.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been plying his trade for Team India for more than a decade, revealed that the current Indian players are more ‘colleagues than friends’. He recalled the time when cricketers used to consider each other friends before saying that the players now try to move ahead of the rest and behave as colleagues.

“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’?” Ravichandran Ashwin had told Indian Express.

His statement raised a number of eyebrows as fans speculated that not everything was well within the Indian dressing room. And with the cricketing fraternity deducing different meanings of the statement, Ravichandran Ashwin has decided to clarify it.

Ravichandran Ashwin clarifies his statement:

Recalling his ‘everybody is a colleague’ comment, Ravichandran Ashwin has said that there are some differences between what he said and what people are understanding. The Tamil Nadu star also went on to explain why it is difficult for current Indian players to consider each other friends and not colleagues.

“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. You have to keep that competitive spirit burning to be able to compete,” Ravichandran Ashwin said in an interview with the Times of India.

Speaking further, Ravichandran Ashwin stated that playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is another big factor behind the players not being able to develop strong friendships. He said that playing for so many teams makes it difficult for the players to become good friends. Ravichandran Ashwin also said that he finds nothing negative in the current situation.

“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. But then again, that is the way of the world — the changing landscape — and I don’t think there is anything negative about it,” he further explained.

Ravichandran Ashwin was last seen in action during the Test series in West Indies. Not a part of the ODI and the T20I teams at present, the off-spinner is likely to be seen in action for India next when the team visits South Africa for a two-Test series towards the end of the year.