Team India star and No.1 ranked ICC bowler, Ravichandran Ashwin penned an appreciation message for his teammates and support staff after Rohit Sharma & Co. failed to end their ICC trophy drought once again. India suffered a humiliating 209-run defeat against Australia in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval. After the game, Ashwin congratulated Australia for winning the title and lauded the effort put in by Indian players during the WTC 2021-23 cycle.
"Congratulations Australia on winning this #WTCFinal and closing out this cycle of test cricket. It is disappointing to end up on the wrong side of things, nevertheless it was a great effort over the last 2 years or so to get here in the first place," Ashwin said in a Tweet.
"Amidst all the chaos and scathing assessments, i feel it’s very important to acknowledge all my team mates who played in this cycle and most importantly the coaching and support staffs who have held on like a rock of support," he added.
Interestingly, Ashwin was dropped from India's playing XI for the summit clash against Australia. With the pitch coveredin grass, Rohit and the Indian management decided to go with four-pacer-one-spinner combination for the final. As it turned out, India missed Ashwin's services immensely as they were tricked by the grass covering on the pitch.
In Ashwin's absence, the Indian bowling attack looked toothless for the major part of the match. India conceded 469 runs in the first innings and 270/8 in the second innings before Australia decided to declare.
Former cricketers and fans heavily criticised Rohit and the team management exclusiding the veteran off-spinner from the playing XI. The decision also came as a surprise to many onlookers because Ashwin was India's leading wicket-taker during WTC 2021-23 cycle.
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