Ravichandran Ashwin confident of making a return to white-ball cricket

Premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was last seen plying his trade for India in the limited-overs (ODI & T20I) against West Indies in the away leg in 2017. After that, he was overlooked by the selection panel led by the then chairman of selectors MSK Prasad, paying the way for wrist spinners to take control of the game.

Since then, he has missed many important home and away assignments. He missed Tests in England and Australia due to injuries in 2018-19 and also the ICC World Cup 2019. With no freedom to play across formats, the veteran spinner is only performing in the longest format of the game.

Besides this, he is also spicing it up in important domestic tournaments. Recently, he took part in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 final to help Dinesh Karthik-led Tamil Nadu against Karnataka. Ravi Ashwin turned out to be the one of the best performers for the team.

Ashwin emulated Imran Tahir’s running celebration after picking two wickets in successive balls, then he almost paid a tribute to MS Dhoni by showing off his finishing skills with the bat and to make things worse, he performed a premature celebration, in what looked similar to that of Mushfiqur Rahim‘s against India in ICC T20 World Cup 2016. Tamil Nadu lost the game by a run in the final.

Ravichandran Ashwin is pleased to give absolutely everything for any team

In the latest update, Ashwin has expressed that he had lost the joy of playing cricket after being taken off from India’s limited-overs teams. His injuries sabotaged his performances in the red-ball format. “Whatever I achieved I never expected when I started playing. I enjoy playing day in, day out.

But I felt somewhere in my career, because of the white ball snub and injuries, I had lost the joy of playing the game, which was very very dangerous for me. I could not watch the game on TV. That was something I did not enjoy. Thankfully I have gotten over it. I took the help of people and I have gotten over it,” Ashwin told Mumbai Mirror.

However, he is pleased to give absolutely everything for any team when it really matters the most. “I am extremely happy, wherever there is a game and an opportunity to deliver, even for a club game, I would go with full commitment and willingness. If I keep my joy intact, there is no limit to what I can achieve.”

Ravichandran Ashwin is confident of featuring for India again in the limited-overs and stated that T20 World Cup next year in Australia will be a ‘realistic goal’ considering the fact that he has loads of experience in his resume. “I do want to represent India, I have been doing it over the years, successfully at it. If you look at my T20 numbers and ODI number, they are no mean achievements. The hopes are still alive, but I take a different approach from others,” he said.