After Record 33rd 5-wicket Haul, Ravichandran Ashwin Opens Up On Pain Of Missing WTC Final

India veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was left out of the playing XI for the World Test Championship (WTC) final last month, which the Rohit Sharma-side lost to Australia. Considering the overcast conditions at The Oval last month, India made the tough call of leaving out Ashwin from the playing eleven for an extra pacer. The decision was widely debated before India came up short in their second successive WTC final. After bagging his 33rd five-wicket haul on Day 1 of the first Test against West Indies, Ashwin said it was tough not to play in the final.

"I've spoken about it. It's very tough as a cricketer when you have a shot at the WTC final and end up sitting out. But what is the difference between me and another person if I also end up sulking in the dressing room.

"When we went to the WTC final, I was mentally prepared to play. I had prepared physically and mentally, planned for the game, everything. But, I was also prepared to not play the game.

"If I'm not playing, how do I respond? How do I make sure the dressing room is really up and about. Winning the WTC final is the most important thing, it could be a very high point in my career and I would have played a good role in it. It was just unfortunate, it didn't pan out. The first day just left us too much behind in the shed.

"All I'd like to give to my teammates and Indian cricket as a whole is some understanding and my best efforts on the field and I'd like to leave it at that," he said.

It is not about wickets or runs, it is about the memories

Ashwin is at the peak of his powers 14 years into international cricket but, looking back, he is amazed how the time has flown by. He is at a stage where making memories is more important than getting wickets for