'If I were the Judge': R Ashwin disagrees with ICC, thinks his CSK teammate didn't deserve Accolade

Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin believes Rachin Ravindra was not the right choice for the Player of the Series award in the Champions Trophy 2025.

The New Zealand batter was bestowed with the award for his all-round performance in the tournament, but Ashwin is not ready to accept that.

The Kiwis lost to India in the final on Sunday in Dubai as India lifted their third Champions Trophy title. Rohit Sharma's men remained unbeaten in the tournament and showcased their class, and Ashwin believes India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy would have been a worthy recipient of the Player of the Series award.

"Whatever said and done, the Player of the Tournament, in my view, was Varun Chakaravarthy. He didn't play the entire tournament. He was such a big difference. If Varun Chakaravarthy wasn't there, I think this game would have been very different. He brought that X-factor and the novelty factor. If I were the judge, I would have given it to Varun. He was the biggest difference," Ashwin was quoted as saying by NDTV on his hindi YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat.

The former India spinner also hailed the way he bamboozled Glenn Phillips to get his wicket, which was a key moment in the final.

"Just look at how he dismissed Glenn Phillips. He wasn't covering the stumps, so Varun went wide of the crease and bowled that googly. In my view, Varun has to be the Player of the Series. The award should be given to someone who made the biggest difference. Varun Chakaravarthy deserves the Player of the Series award," he added.

Chakravarthy didn't play in the first two matches but ended up with 9 wickets in the three matches that he played in the tournament. He will be joining Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL 2025 next. Ravindra shall also join the IPL as he will play alongside Ashwin at CSK in the tournament.