Ravichandran Ashwin finally opens up on Kumble fiasco, also talks about Ravi Shastri

It was a tumultuous time for Indian cricket after the ill timed departure of Anil Kumble. Virat Kohli had a fallout with the former coach just before his tenure of one year had eclipsed. Not a single player from the Indian team spoke about the apparent discomfort between the two. Ravichandran Ashwin, a senior member of the squad chose to keep mum on the subject as well.

Kohli reported the intense methods of Kumble which intimidated a section of the team to the BCCI. His recommendation of Ravi Shastri as the coach of the side was fulfilled by the CA when they gave the former all-rounder a two-year contract last week. Kohli and Shastri are looked at a great partnership to shepherd Indian cricket forward.

‘Out of my bounds to comment on the subject’

One of the top performers for India in the last three years – Ravi Ashwin opened up about the Kumble saga. In an exclusive interview to sportsstarlive.com, Ashwin ruled himself out to have a say on the appointed coach because it is purely the Board’s decision.

“The existing situation is such that it is between three people; captain, coach and probably the administration. Unless and until, as Virat said, we are asked, we don’t make a statement or comment. To m, it was between the BCCI, Virat and Anilbhai and now it’s between the BCCI, Virat and Ravi. I don’t even figure anywhere in this and to be able to comment on that is definitely out of bounds.”

He maintained that the essential parties of Indian cricket remain the Board, coach and the skipper of the side.

“But as far as I am concerned the stakeholders of the game is: captain is appointed by the BCCI and the coach by the BCCI,” he added.

Ashwin had a great time working with Kumble

Ashwin is an intense character and liked working with Kumble, a fellow spinner. He once famously said that he himself doesn’t wish to go past the former leg-spinner’s record tally of 619 wickets.

“I love the conversations with Anil and that’s because of the fact that we share a similar kind of skill, trade and all that. It’s been very exciting and the one thing that I learned in the exciting journey of cricket is that nothing or no one is constant. Things keep changing, and if you want to stay at that level you have to put things behind and keep moving on,” Ashwin concluded.

‘Can’t compare their styles’

He refused to draw comparisons between Kumble and Shastri saying that both had contrasting styles of coaching. He listed both individual’s strengths and said that they are good in their own ways.

“I do not have an opinion, but whatever I have worked with both Ravi and Anil – and I am not being diplomatic here, both of them have different strengths – [I feel] they are good in their own ways. Ravibhai is all the time positive; he’s exuberant and he infuses so much energy into you and Anil is very methodical, he produces a lot of different dimensions that one bowler can ask for.”

Under both Shastri and Kumble, Ashwin has rapidly risen to become one of the premier bowlers going around in world cricket. With Shastri at the helm again, Ashwin has an advantage of already working with him for two years so the transition will be very smooth.