"They Use This Strategy...": Ravichandran Ashwin On Rivals Calling India Favourites For World Cup

08.08.2023 - 11:19 sports.ndtv.com

It is quite common for experts and cricketers to hail the Indian cricket team as ‘favourites' ahead of any major International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament.

The situation is not much different with the ICC World Cup 2023 just around the corner and considering the fact that India are the hosts this time, it comes as no surprise that most people are counting them as major title contenders.

However, veteran India skipper Ravichandran Ashwin had a rather interesting point to make regarding the ‘favourites' tag. He believes that it is a tactic used by cricketers around the world to reduce the pressure on themselves and put the Indian team under the spotlight. “I know people around the world of cricket will keep saying India are favourites.

In fact, all the cricketers around the world will use this as a strategy and say India are favourites before every ICC event.

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Some quotes don't really age well. Former India wicketkeeper MSK Prasad and chief selector MSK Prasad must know. It all started with the selection of allrounder Vijay Shankar in the 2019 World Cup squad. The then chief selector MSK Prasad had said then that he was a three-dimensional player and hence was picked up in the squad. Later, however, after Shankar had a forgettable World Cup campaign which ended with an injury, he was mercilessly trolled with the '3D' reference.

Asia Cup 2023: Angry Ravichandran Ashwin Blasts Those 'Degrading' India Players, Blames 'IPL Warfare'

With the announcement of India's Asia Cup 2023 squad, there have been debates ranging in social media on whether it is a good squad. While most expected names got a call-up, a couple of them missed the berth. India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who is not part of the squad, is irritated at such discussions. Ashwin talked about two players who were selected in the Asia Cup squad to drill home the point. One among them is Tilak Varma, who is yet to play an ODI, while the other is Suryakumar Yada, whose ODI form has been very bad, a fact accepted by the player himself.

Watch: Ravichandran Ashwin Impressed By Bowler Running Out Non-Strike Batter, Sparks Debate

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has often been subjected to unfair criticism for running out batters at non-striker's end for backing up too far, reignited the debate on the mode of dismissal. On Monday, Ashwin posted a video on social media in which a bowler run outs the batter at non-striker's end -- a dismissal that is still a matter of debate despite it not coming under cricket's 'unfair play' anymore. "Winning dismissal," wrote Ashwin on X, formerly known as Twitter, with a laughing emoji. "More awareness and mindfulness required towards the closing stages of a game," he added.

Watch: Ravichandran Ashwin Impressed By Bowler Running Out Non-Strike Batter, Sparks Debate

"What A Journey": Ravichandran Ashwin Hails R Praggnanandhaa After FIDE World Cup Heroics

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa stunned everyone by reaching the final of FIDE World Cup chess tournament after beating world number 3 Fabiano Caruana in Baku, Azerbaijan on Monday. It is a huge achievement for the youngster who has been grabbing headlines with his steady rise in the world of chess and he will now face Magnus Carlsen in the summit clash. The 18-year-old is only the second Indian chess player after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to reach the final of this competition and it was fitting that he achieved the feat thanks to a brilliant tie-break victory.

"Worrying Point Is...": India's World Cup Winning Great Raises Concern Over Asia Cup Squad

Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal on Monday expressed his concern over the fitness of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer and was surprised by the exclusion of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin from the Indian squad for the Asia Cup 2023. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced a 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 which will begin on August 30 with Jasprit Bumrah, Iyer, and Rahul returning to the squad.