Ravichandran Ashwin has taken responsibility for India’s test series defeat against New Zealand.
India lost a test series at home after a streak of 12 years. New Zealand whitewashed the hosts 3-0. It was their first-ever test series win in India. It was a very disappointing performance from Team India. They were outdone by the Kiwis with both bat and ball.
India lost the first test in Bengaluru by 8 wickets. They were bowled out for just 45 in their first innings in this game. The Kiwis then continued their good form in the second test at Pune. They won that game by 113 runs. India lost the third and final test by 25 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Veteran spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel that he was one of the big reasons behind India’s poor performance.
He said, “We have been hit by a 3 – 0· loss to New Zealand. I read that it has never happened in India in history and don’t know· how to react or react to it. I know that in my career and my experience in cricket, we don’t have so many emotions when we play. But it’s a very shattering experience. That’s the right word for it. I didn’t know how to react or respond to it for the last 2-3 days”.
Ashwin’s worst performance in a home test series
Ashwin picked up only 9 wickets in the whole series. This was his worst performance in a test series at home. He averaged 41.22 with the ball.
The off-spinner further added, “I expect a lot from myself. I am a guy who says I am the reason for everything that went wrong. I am also a big reason and a big part of it as I couldn’t contribute to the lower-order runs. As a bowler, I know that runs are a vital currency for a bowler. I started well in many places, but then I threw it away on a couple of occasions. I put in my best but it wasn’t enough”.
The series loss has hurt the 38-year-old quite badly. India will now be against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and Ashwin will be eager to do well in that series.
