Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin. Credit: BCCI

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar feels there is more to Ravichandran Ashwin’s recent exclusion from India’s playing eleven that that meets the eye. Not very long ago, Ravichandran Ashwin was an automatic choice in the team. However, the last year or so has panned out in a very unexpected manner for the off-spinner.

Injury, as well as some indifferent form, saw him lose his regular spot in the playing eleven in the last year or so. Ravichandran Ashwin warmed the bench in both the Tests against West Indies on India’s last overseas tour. He finally got a chance in the ongoing first Test against South Africa. The ongoing game is Ashwin’s first international game this year.

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Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin (Credits: Getty)

Ashwin’s fall from grace is nothing less than surprising and spectacular. And Sunil Gavaskar feels the absence of Ashwin from the team has nothing to do with his performance. He also said that the Tamil Nadu ace should be a certainty in the team while insisting that the spinner suffers from comparisons.

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“Ashwin should be a certainty. The fact that he has not been made to feel the comfort level is the reason why we are seeing him struggle a little bit. He has also got to feel he has got the confidence of the people around him. When you don’t have the confidence of people around you, when you keep getting sidelined, then you try a little too hard,” said Gavaskar as quoted by Hindustan Times.

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“I think, there are always these little comparisons he suffers from. When playing in Australia, he is compared to Nathan Lyon. He is doing that doing this. But Lyon is bowling to the Indian batsmen. I think there is more to it than just cricketing performances which is the reason he just finds himself sidelined more often than somebody with his record should be. Somebody who has got almost 350 wickets can’t be sidelined as regularly as he has been,” he added.

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Meanwhile, Ashwin starred with the ball in the ongoing first Test. He picked up 5 wickets to help India keep the Proteas in check.