I’M NO SLOUCH IN WHITE-BALL CRICKET: ASHWIN

MUMBAI : At the last World Cup, R Ashwin was indispensable in India’s run to the semi-final. Things haven’t gone well in ODIS thereafter for the off-spinner. With the rise of wrist-spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, his career has been restricted to Tests. Ashwin is not in the running for a berth in the 2019 World Cup squad but the 32-yearold said it wasn’t for him to change perceptions of his credentials in the limited-overs format. Speaking at the launch of Cricfig’s memorabilia on Saturday, he said: “I am no slouch. In white-ball format, my record is not bad as perceived. It is out of perception that wrist spinners are required in modern day one-day cricket that I am sitting out. The last one-day match I played I got 3/28. I would always look back at my career and say it is not due to my effort I am sitting out, it is due to the supply and demand that the team requires.”

Ashwin played 79 ODIS between the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, but has played just 15 ODIS in the last four years. He has played 41 Tests in the period, including the first game of the historic series win in Australia before he broke down. “I played in the (T20) Mushtaq Ali Trophy and had a decent outing and that is how I look at it. I am playing cricket and it is not like I need to specialise in one particular format,” the Kings XI Punjab skipper said. “I am just adding more ammunition to my skill, and try and add more strength to my game. That’s all it has always been.”