India's legendary spinner Ravichandran Ashwin requested former India teammates to not encourage the superstar culture” within the team as they are not actors or superstars, but are just sportspersons. He urged the team to be someone that the common people should resonate with.
Indian cricketers hold a massive fan following and it's often witnessed that fans take massive risks to meet their favourite cricketers.
“It is important to normalise things in Indian cricket. We must not encourage this superstardom and super celebrities within the Indian cricket team,” Ashwin said on his Hindi YouTube channel, “Ash Ki Baat.”
“We must normalise all these things going forward.
“We are cricketers. We are not actors or superstars.
“We are sportspersons, and we must be someone that the common people should resonate with, and can compare themselves with.
The former off-spinner also reckons that players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have achieved so much that hitting one more century is not an achievement anymore.
“For example if you are a Rohit Sharma or a Virat Kohli, who have achieved so much. When you hit one more century, it is not just about your achievement anymore. It should be the business as usual, and our goals should be bigger than these achievements,” he added.
As Rohit Sharma-led India are currently preparing for the Champions Trophy 2025, Ashwin has also raised concerns over Indian team management naming five spinners in the form of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja and Varun Chakravarthy in the final updated squad for the marquee event scheduled to start from February 19.
“Five spinners in Dubai? I don’t know. I think we are one spinner too many if not two,” he said.
“The two left-arm spinners are your best all-rounders alongside Hardik Pandya.
“So both Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja are going to play. Hardik will also play and Kuldeep will play.
“If you want Varun Chakravarthy in the team, then you will have to make a pacer sit out and use Hardik as your second pacer. Else you will have to drop a spinner to bring in a third seamer,” Ashwin said.
Team India will play their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai. Rohit Sharma-led side will depart for Dubai on February 15 and the side will start their campaign against Bangladesh on 20 February.