Team India Was Deprived Of Pool Access In Brisbane Which Delayed My Injury Recovery - Ravichandran Ashwin

India’s premier off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin reveals that he could have played in the Test match in Brisbane against Australia had he not been denied pool access in the hotel which hampered his recovery process. Ashwin missed the fourth and last Test of the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar series, which India won, due to a back injury.

Ravichandran Ashwin was involved in a marathon ‘Blockathon’ with Hanuma Vihari in the third Test match in Sydney – both the right-handers, one battling severe back pain and the other pulled his hamstring at the start of his innings, denied their wickets to the Australian bowlers for more than a session on Day 5 at the SCG and avoided a loss.

If the recovery process was in place, there was a good chance for me to play in Brisbane: Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin, who bunted out 128 balls in the fourth innings at the SCG, opines that he had a good chance to play at the Gabba if he was provided with proper facilities to recover from his back injury. The Indian team was denied several facilities, including the pool and housekeeping as well, in wake of the new coronavirus strain in Brisbane.

“It was looking good for the fourth Test, it looked like I would play. But there was an unfortunate turn of events. Even pool access was cut. The pool is an important activity in the recovery process. The physio also felt if the recovery process was in place, there was a good chance to play. It was a freakish injury,” said R Ashwin as quoted by The New Indian Express.

The off-spinner took 12 wickets in 3 matches, and dismissed Australia’s talisman batsman, Steve Smith thrice. Ashwin feels that some of the hard quarantine rules in Brisbane were ‘questionable’ and ‘insensitive’.

However, no amount of challenges stopped an injury-riddled Indian team from breaching the ‘Fortress Gabba’ and taking the series. The 34-year-old is selected in the squad to take on England at home and will lead the spin cartel, subject to clearing the fitness Test.

“After that 1-1 draw, things took a U-turn. The way things happened in Sydney and Brisbane, we had to quarantine. Sometimes it was questionable. There was insensitivity around people commenting on why we were complaining. The rules were not such. It looked like off the beat. Being the tour it was, we buckled down and put on a good show,” Ravichandran Ashwin added.

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