Ashwin reveals being 'traumatised' by people: 'Teammates were friends, now they are colleagues'

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Ravichandran Ashwin is back to playing cricket in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and picked two wickets for 26 runs already in his first match of the ongoing season for Dindigul Dragons.

India lost the World Test Championship final (WTC Final) 2023 on Sunday at The Oval in London and the 36-year-old veteran off-spinner leading the Dragons in Coimbatore on Wednesday.

A player so dedicated towards the sport was not included in India's playing eleven in the WTC final against Australia. The world number one Test bowler warming the bench shocked the entire cricket fraternity. Ashwin is also definitely hurt and words coming out from him are proof.

In an interview with The Indian Express, Ashwin has minced no words in revealing how people "traumatised' him with their comments, marketed him as "an overthinker" and indirectly took away the leadership opportunities from him.

“A lot of people marketed me and positioned me… (as) an overthinker. A person who knows that they will get only two games will be traumatised and will be overthinking because it’s my job… It (overthinker label) was created to work against me, right?

"And as I said, there have been statements that people have made all along when leadership is a question that’s come my way, there have been people… out there telling (that) my name is not the first name on the sheet when India tour abroad,” Ashwin told The Indian Express.

“I’m a lot more chilled than I used to be. A lot more relaxed than I ever have been. Sitting here today, I realise how much of a toll it had taken on me mentally, to the point where I was traumatised. But I am very glad to have come through that and discovered a new me,” he added.

Teammates were friends, they are colleagues

Ashwin, who is trying to move on from the WTC Final snub, also reckoned that teammates are more like colleagues now. He said there is no room for personal bonding as each person is aiming to stride past the other in the team.

“Once upon a time when cricket was played, all your teammates were friends. Now, they are colleagues. There’s a big difference, because here people are there to advance themselves and to stride ahead of another person sitting to your right or left. So, nobody’s got the time to say, 'okay, boss what are you up to’?”