Ravichandran Ashwin reflects on WTC final snub: 'Was mentally prepared to play'

Ravichandran Ashwin the worlds number one Test bowler put the disappointment of being dropped from the World Test Championship final with a 33rd fivewicket haul in the first Test against the West Indies on Wednesday But even though the constant search for excellence has pushed him to new heights but by his own admission it has also been incredibly drainingThe 36yearold also became the third Indian to reach the 700wicket milestone in international cricket and is only behind Harbhajan Singh 707 wickets and Anil Kumble 953 in the alltime listAfter the close of play on day one the wily offspinner who also thinks deeply about the game was asked about his long journey in international cricket and the ups and downs along the way including the recent exclusion from the WTC final against AustraliaThere is no cricketer or human being in this world that has gone through the highs without the lows When you have the lows it gives you two choices either you sulk or talk about it and then complain about it and go along with it and go down Or you learn from it So Im someone whos constantly learnt from my lowsIn fact the best thing thatll happen today after this good day that Ive had is that Ill have a good meal have a good conversation talk to my family and go to bed and then forget about itWhen youve had a good day you know youve had a good day but there are areas you can work on and get better for tomorrow This constant search for excellence has held me in good stead all the time but its also been incredibly drainingIts not a journey thats been very easy For me the journey has been draining but Im very thankful for all the lows because without the lows there are no highs said Ashwin in the post day media interactionConsidering the overcast conditions at The Oval last month India made the tough call of leaving out Ashwin from the playing eleven for an extra pacer The decision was widely debated before India came up short in their second successive WTC finalAlso ReadRavichandran Ashwinrsquos spin wizardry lights path for Indiarsquos spell of dominanceAshwin was naturally disappointedIve spoken about it Its very tough as a cricketer when you have a shot at the WTC final and end up sitting out But what is the difference between me and another person if I also end up sulking in the dressing roomWhen 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 gameIf Im 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 didnt pan out The first day just left us too much behind in the shedAll Id like to give to my teammates and Indian cricket as a whole is some understanding and my best efforts on the field and Id like to leave it at that he saidAshwin is at the peak of his powers 14 years into international cricket but looking back he is amazed how the time has flown by He is at a stage where making memories is more important than getting wickets for the teamIts been literally 14 years on the go and if you include IPL also its been almost a 1516 years journey Its just gone like that All I would tell anybody is the first time I met Rahul Dravid as a coach he made this statement Its not about how many wickets you take how many runs you score Youll forget about all of them It is only the great memories you create as a team thatll stick with youIm totally behind that I dont know if hes brainwashed me to do that From my point of view I definitely think that this journey has gone so fast that Im not even able to recollect what has happened and how it has gone throughAshwin who was introduced into the attack as early as the ninth over made full use of the bounce on offer at Windsor Park The West Indies batters offered little resistance and Ashwin was too good for themThere 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 it very wellAs 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 he addedWith PTI inputs