Not Picked For WTC Final 2023 R Ashwin Reveals The First Thing He Will Regret Once He Retires

Ashwin revealed how he started bowling off-spin and the first thing he will regret once he hangs up his boots.

R Ashwin of India bowls during a training session at Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground on February 07, 2023 in Nagpur, India.

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Star India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was not named in India's Playing XI for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at the Oval in London. In his absence, India went on to lose the match by 209 runs. This was their second straight defeat in a WTC Final. Following Team India's loss, several former cricketers and pundits criticized the decision of the team management to overlook Ashwin depite him being the top-ranked bowler in the world before the start of the match.

In a recent interview, Ashwin spoke about various aspects of his cricket career. He revealed the first thing that he will regret after retiring from the sport, given how batters and bowlers are treated differently. 

"One day, I was seeing the India-Sri Lanka game and India’s bowling was in tatters. My favourite was Sachin Tendulkar, and whatever runs he used to make we used to leak those runs with the ball. I used to think one day, I must be a bowler. Can’t I be better than the bowlers that are there currently? This is a very childish way to think but that is how I thought and that is why I started bowling off-spin. This is where it began," he told the Indian Express.

"However, tomorrow when I hang up my boots, the first thing I will regret is having been such a fine batter, I should have never become a bowler," he added.

"This perception I have constantly tried to fight, but there are different yardsticks for bowlers and batters. And there are different ways of treatment. I understand for the batter it is a one-ball game and they require the opportunity," he further said.

The 36-year-old in this interview also went on to say how he is proud of what he has achieved so far and does not worry about other judging him. He rated himself as his best critic.