I'm very thankful for all the lows that have come my way because without the lows there are no highs in your life: Ravichandran Ashwin

Spin wizard Ravichandran Ashwin was left out of India’s playing XI that challenged Australia in the finals of the World Test Championship in June. Speaking about the entire incident, the 36-year-old revealed that he was well prepared and ready to take the field but unfortunately, he couldn’t fit into the team’s strategy.

However, the Chennai-born cricketer also added by saying that he kept himself mentally ready for not playing as well, since he didn’t want to spoil the dressing room environment.

Meanwhile, India suffered an embarrassing defeat in the WTC final and skipper Rohit Sharma faced a lot of criticism for dropping Ashwin. However, the bowler has a different outlook on it, as he believes that no cricketer has seen the highs without the lows. Notably, on his return to the playing XI, Ashwin picked up a brilliant five-for in the first Test against the West Indies as the hosts were bundled out for 150 runs on Day 1.

“There's no human being or cricketer who has gone through the highs without the lows. When you have lows, it gives you two chances - either you sulk and complain about it and go along and go down, or you learn from it. I am someone who's constantly learnt from my lows. In fact the best thing that's happened after this good day that I've had is that I'll have a good meal, talk to my family and then go to bed and forget about it because when you've had a good day you know you've had a good day, but there are areas you can work on and get better for tomorrow.

“So this constant search for excellence has held me in good stead all the time but it's also been incredibly draining. It's not a journey that's very easy. It's been draining but I'm very thankful for all the lows that have come my way because without the lows there are no highs in your life,” the veteran stated after Day 1 of the first Test against the West Indies as reported by ESPNcricinfo.

India meanwhile are trailing by 70 runs at the end of the day’s play. Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave an excellent start with the bat and hope to build a strong partnership to take West Indies out of the game on Day 2.