Ravichandran Ashwin, a seasoned off-spinner, recently spoke out against this “superstar culture,” saying that cricket players are still relatable and grounded. Cricket players should be viewed as athletes first and not actors, Ashwin stressed.
The cricket player from Tamil Nadu voiced his severe disapproval of the rise in player celebrity status. The significance of cricket players being relatable to the general public was emphasised by him.
“It is critical to normalise Indian cricket.” The Indian cricket team’s superstardom and super celebs should not be supported. Moving forward, we need to normalise all of these things. Our sport is cricket. “We are not celebrities or actors,” Ashwin stated on his Hindi YouTube channel, Ash Ki Baat.
We ought to aim higher than these accomplishments: Ravi Ashwin
Using Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two of India’s batting mainstays, as examples, the veteran emphasised the value of putting team success ahead of individual accomplishments.
We must be someone that the general public can relate to and compare themselves to since we are athletes. Take Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, for instance, who have accomplished a great deal. When you reach another century, it’s no longer just about your accomplishment. “It should continue as usual, and our objectives should surpass these successes,” he continued.
Ashwin expressed his worries over India’s team for the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in addition to his opinions on the superstar culture. The five spinners in the team—Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, and Varun Chakravarthy—may be too many for the conditions in Dubai, according to Ashwin.
“Durbai has five spinners? I am not sure. I believe that we have too many spinners—at least two. Your best all-around players are Hardik Pandya and the two left-arm spinners, Jadeja and Axar. Thus, both Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel will perform. In addition, Kuldeep and Hardik will play. If you want Varun Chakravarthy on the team, you’ll need to employ Hardik as your backup pacer and force a pacer to sit out. In order to bring in a third seamer, you will need to drop a spinner,” he said.
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