Shastri Responds To Ashwin’s ‘I was crushed’ Remark

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri responded to off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s remarks about feeling “absolutely crushed” when the ex-coach had mentioned Kuldeep Yadav as India’s upscale spinner in overseas situations in Test matches. 

In the 2018-19 tour Kuldeep had seized a five-wicket haul in Sydney Ashwin expressed he was genuinely glad for Kuldeep as he knew how hard it is to grab five wickets as a spinner in Australia. 

In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, Ashwin revealed that he was deemed destroyed when Shastri labelled Kuldeep as India’s No.1 overseas spinner after he seized a five-for in Sydney.

“… I felt crushed. Absolutely crushed. We all talk about how important it is to enjoy your team-mates’ success. And I was happy for Kuldeep. I have not been able to get a five-for but he has a five-for in Australia. I know how big it is. Even when I have bowled well [at other times], I haven’t ended up with a five-for. So, I am genuinely happy for him. And it’s an extremely happy occasion, to win in Australia,” Ashwin had said.

Now, Shastri has responded to Ashwin’s remarks and said, “Ashwin did not play the Test in Sydney and Kuldeep bowled well. So it’s fair I give Kuldeep a chance. If that hurt Ashwin, I am very happy. It made him do something different. My job is not to butter everyone’s toast. My job is to state facts without agenda.”

“My job is not to butter everyone’s toast. My job is to state facts without agenda,” Shastri said, adding: “If my statement on Kuldeep (Yadav) hurt Ashwin, I’m glad I made that statement. It made him do something different.”