Ravichandran Ashwin Reveals Why Rohit Sharma Benched Him In World Cup Final Despite Great Records vs Australia

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed that he was mentally ready to miss the ICC World Cup 2023 final. Ravichandran Ashwin also said that he backs Rohit Sharma’s decision not to change team combination in the final.

Ashwin played just one game in the ICC World Cup 2023– the opening match against Australia. He was expected to play in the final due to the slow nature of Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, Rohit Sharma backed the same combination of playing XI that dominated throughout the tournament.

Also Read: Ravi Ashwin Picks His Side In Rohit Sharma vs Hardik Pandya Captaincy Debate

I Was Mentally Prepared To Miss The Final: Ravichandran Ashwin

While chatting with former Indian cricketer S Badrinath on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin said that he was mentally prepared to miss or play the final.

“Honestly, I was able to understand the thought process of Rohit Sharma. Playing the final is a big opportunity. I was preparing for it for 3 days in the lead-up. I was not replying to a lot of people. I read only the ticker of WhatsApp messages and kept my phone away”.

“I was preparing myself well for the opportunity. At the same time, I was prepared to cheer for the team and run in with Electral if I didn’t get the opportunity. I was mentally prepared for that too,” the right-arm spinner said.

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I Would’ve Done the Same Thing: Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin also said that he understood Rohit Sharma’s viewpoint of not changing the playing XI in the final. He also said that he would’ve thought 100 times about changing the combination if he was the skipper.

“As far as I am concerned, I playing the final, team combination and all that is secondary. Firstly, it’s about empathy, I keep stressing it a lot. It’s about standing in someone else’s shoes and looking at things from his/her viewpoint”. 

“If I had been in Rohit’s shoes, I would have thought 100 times about changing the combination. It was going very well for the team. Why would I rest a fast bowler and play 3 spinners?” Ashwin said.

India lost the ICC World Cup 2023 final to Australia by 6 wickets. Even after winning all the previous games in the tournament convincingly, India failed to lift the trophy. Australia won their sixth ODI World Cup title after crushing India to extend their record.