R Ashwin: Indian star says he 'would have loved to play' in WTC Final 2023

It was a bitter pill to swallow for World No. 1 Test bowler Ravichandran Ashwin, who was dropped from the Indian XI for the World Test Championship final.

In an interview with the Indian Express, Ashwin shed light on how he felt when he was left out of the playing XI.

He said, "I would have loved to play because I played a part in us getting there. Even in the last final I got four wickets and bowled really well."

When asked if it was tough to deal with his omission, Ashwin replied, "For me, it’s not a setback. It’s just a stumbling block, I’ll move on because I have gone through that. When somebody knocks you down for the first time, you have a knee-jerk reaction. I think you should be knocked down once in a while in your life so that you are used to it and will know how to bounce back. That’s what life is. Whether you are at your peak or not, it is still a setback. The fact that you need to learn how to deal with it is very important."

Instead of R Ashwin, India decided to play Ravindra Jadeja as their lone spinner, while opting for four pace bowling options in Mohd Shami, Mohd Siraj, Shardul Thakur & Umesh Yadav.

The move backfired as India were comprehensively beaten by the Aussies at the Oval, losing the final by 209 runs.

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