Australia’s veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon wasn’t pleased when he was dropped from the playing XI in a home Test for the first time in 14 years. Lyon did not hold back his emotions when he was asked about getting benched. He said that the decision was absolute “filthy”. Many have lauded the Australian for his blunt statement. Ravichandran Ashwin praised Lyon as well for expressing his emotions but explained why he cannot do something similar.
“Nathan Lyon is lucky. If anyone is dropped from the team, the emotions would be similar to what Lyon expressed in front of the world. He got the media to express his views, and he did just that. The Australian team wouldn't feel bad, and he would play the Adelaide Test. I am just happy for Nathan Lyon,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
“People have emotions, and they will do just that. However, I cannot express my emotions, because if I do, I will lose out, and only my harm will be caused. So why will I do that? However, I really respect Nathan Lyon; he let his emotions out. Good on him," he added.
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While Ashwin said that Indian cricketers have the freedom to express their opinion, he believes there is collateral damage involved too in the long run.
“We, as Indian cricketers, are allowed to express our opinion. No one is stopping us. But what is collateral damage? Your expression and emotion are not given as much respect because you will be stamped as a person of a certain character for doing that. I hope this will change with the passage of time, and it should,” the 39-year-old said.
Ashwin points at lack of acceptance
Ashwin explained it with former West Indies opener Chris Gayle’s example to back his statement. He feels that if Abhishek Sharma behaves the way Gayle does, he won’t be accepted like the Caribbean batter. He hopes that there is a cultural shift and players aren’t judged over their opinions.
“Just take the example of Chris Gayle, he was a high-quality player. He used to hit sixes for fun. He himself said, ‘I am the Universe Boss’, and we accepted that. Now imagine, tomorrow, Abhishek Sharma comes to the press conference wearing a big chain and exclaims to the world, ‘I am the Universe Boss’," said Ashwin.
"Will we accept him? No. Because in our mind, there is a conditioning that we need to credit someone else, no matter how hard we have worked. I hope that really changes,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Lyon is expected to return to the playing eleven for the Adelaide Test that is scheduled to start on December 14.