Melbourne, Jan 28 (IANS) India star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Thursday said he was disappointed but deserved to being left out of the playing XI during the One-Day International (ODI) series against Australia.
Ashwin conceded it was a fair decision taken by the management as he didn’t perform well in the first two ODI matches.
After successive losses to the hosts in Perth and Brisbane, Ashwin was dropped in the third ODI. India eventually lost the five-match series 1-4.
“The reason I didn’t play was because I didn’t win a game for India. If India had won, I would have played, as simple as that…the fact that I went for 70 runs, and then went for 60 run…I had to sit out, and I think it’s fair enough because you have to play the right combination,” Ashwin said at the pre-match press conference ahead of the second Twenty20 International match against Australia.
India lead the three-match T20I series 1-0.
“As far as I’m concerned, I can just work that bit harder and keep going hard at it,” he said.
Speaking about the nature of the wicket and the way the batsmen have scored plenty, the Chennai-born spinner said, “I think it’s been a batsmen’s tournament, so you’ve got to stick to your basics and hope that you put the balls in the right place.”
“When I came back, I was pretty confident, I had my plans in place and I also had the extra fielder outside the circle, which was a big advantage,” Ashwin said.
In the Tuesday’s T20I opener, Ashwin along with other bowlers – pacers Ashwin Nehra, young Jasprit Bumrah, and allrounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja — helped the visitors defend a challenging total of 189 runs to script a 37-run victory.
“I think in the first over I bowled well (in Adelaide), there wasn’t anything wrong with the way I bowled, it’s just that I went for runs. Throughout the ODI series, be it Nathan Lyon or Kane Richardson, they have gone for 70 runs or more than that. So it’s about picking up wickets and having the confidence to bowl the good ball again and again,” the 29-year-old said.