It’s very tough as a cricketer - R Ashwin on WTC Final omission and bouncing back to pick up a 5-fer against West Indies

India dictated the shots against the West Indies on the opening day of the first Test at Dominica as Ravichandran Ashwin registered a fifer while Ravindra Jadeja assisted him perfectly with a three-wicket haul. After all the discussions around Ashwin’s omission from India’s playing XI for the WTC Final, the veteran spinner bagged the first opportunity that came his way in the latest WTC cycle with arms wide open as he razed through the Caribbean batting line-up.

It all started with the early breakthrough that he delivered in the form of Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s dismissal, with the ball pitching on middle and leg before it turned ever so slightly to crash into the top of off-stump. The second wicket was the big one of Kraigg Brathwaite as he tried to desperately slice the ball with all his might, only to sky it into the safe hands of Rohit Sharma at cover.

His third victim of the day was Alzarri Joseph as his attempt at a glory shot ended up as an edge that ballooned into the air and was pouched by Jaydev Unadkat at backward point. Producing another mishit from a set Alick Athanaze this time, Ashwin got his fourth wicket of the match as Sharul Thakur claimed a regulation take at mid on. Ashwin completed his 33rd fifer in Test cricket with the scalp of Jomel Warrican as Shubman Gill put in a full-stretched dive at short leg to put an end to the Caribbean innings.

Talking in an interview at the end of day’s play, Ravichandran Ashwin spoke about how he coped with the WTC omission and also shed light on how he would urge the entire team to dish out their very best in the face of almost insurmountable odds. 

Ashwin said, “I've spoken about it. It's very tough as a cricketer when you have a WTC final and end up sitting out. All that is fine. But what is the difference between me and another person if I also end up sulking in the dressing room. When we went to the WTC final, I was mentally prepared to play. I had prepared physically and mentally, planned for the game, everything. But, I was also prepared to not play the game.”

He further added, "If I'm not playing, how do I respond? How do I make sure the dressing room is really up and about? Winning the WTC final is the most important thing, it could be a very high point in my career and I would have played a good role in it. It was just unfortunate, it didn't pan out. The first day just left us too much behind in the shed. All I'd like to give to my teammates and Indian cricket as a whole is some understanding and my best efforts on the field and I'd like to leave it at that."

Returning to the cricket on show and talking about the conditions on the opening day in West Indies, Ashwin said, “There was some bounce from the wicket, especially from the pavilion end. The wicket had some slope also which gave us bounce. But we utilised the first session very well. The wicket had some moisture and it was coming off very well. As you saw, they showed a graphic that it was turning more [in the second session], but the turn was very slow. But in the first session, there was bounce, and pace off was good, there was bite. We utilised it very well. The way [Jermaine] Blackwood got out just before Lunch, the momentum shifted completely to us. I also thought Jaiswal and Rohit batted very well to give us a very dominant day on Day 1.”