Ravichandran Ashwin Defends The Hundred Tournament Amid Divided Opinions

Amid polarizing views on The Hundred, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come out in support of the tournament. Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar very recently spoke about the competition, criticizing it for the lack of quality, labelling it ‘insipid’. But Ravichandran Ashwin believes people have condemned it without getting an on-field experience of the same.

The Hundred, organized by the England Cricket Board (ECB), is a 100-ball tournament got underway on the 21st of July with the women’s competition occurring first between The Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals at the Oval. The men’s edition started a day later between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals.

Ravichandran Ashwin believes people have commented on the format without understanding it as most misunderstand innovation. The 34-year old iterated a film’s example as one should not judge without watching it in the theatre. Hence, Ashwin credited the innovation and is excited to see it prosper further.

“Those who did not understand this format commented vaguely about frequent changes in rules and formats. To many, innovation is not encouraged and is often misunderstood. When someone films a movie, we should watch it in the theatre and then criticise it. Making irrelevant comments even before going to the theatre does not work. We should appreciate the attempt and give credit to it,” Ashwin told in his Youtube channel.

I have found The Hundred enjoyable: Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin further conceded that The Hundred has made an exciting start and highlighted that people think it could affect the players’ performances. The veteran finger spinner thinks, like IPL, the competition can become a sporting festival and relishes any live cricket in these tough times.

“Hundred format has had an exciting start, and let’s see how it goes. Many believe this format can affect the performances of players. But I have found The Hundred enjoyable, and it can be called a sporting festival season. After tough times, experiencing live sports in cricket is something great,” he added.

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