"We Are Strong But...": Ashwin Fires Back At 'Harsh' Critics Of Team India

After Suryakumar Yadav's struggles to translate his T20I form into the ODIs, questions are being raised on the star batter inclusion in the 50-over format. He had an interesting series. His triple golden ducks in the three ODIs against Australia led to some unwanted records but the Indian team management's trust in him hasn't entirely been shaken. While Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid and a number of others have backed Surya to bounce back, there remain a few 'experts' who aren't convinced of his adaptability in ODI cricket. R Ashwin, reacting to the chatter, has taken a swipe at the said 'experts' for their harsh criticism.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin fumed at the experts, slamming them for the timing of their criticism. Ashwin also explained that Shreyas Iyer's injury resulted into India's No. 4 position becoming unstable which led to a number of players being tried at the position.

"Shreyas Iyer's injury meant we did not have a stable No.4 in the Australia series. In 3 balls, Surya got three ducks. Immediately there are so many questions on whether he should play ODI cricket, blah blah blah. Since India lost, these questions multiplied. There is not too much to read into it.

"There is almost a compulsion that India should always win. There is an opinion that India is the strongest team. We are a strong team, no doubt about that but somewhere down the line, we assume ourselves to be invincible. So the feedback coming from the public sometimes can be harsh. Even experts are very harsh with their criticisms these days," he added.

Ashwin also feels that the Indian team that last won the ODI World Cup (in 2011) did so because of its 'balance' in the squad. The untimely criticism from experts is bringing this stability down in the Indian team.

"It will not give any balance to the cricketer or the management. When we won the 2011 World Cup, the stability we had in the team was the main reason. I feel we ourselves are bringing the stability down. Experts should know what is a valid time. They have played the game so they would know," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

from NDTV Sports-Cricket
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