Ravichandran Ashwin, one of the great off-spinners in modern-day cricket, makes a big request to all the Indian cricket fans before the ODI World Cup 2023.
In recent years, social media has played a significant role in how Indian cricket fans express their support. However, it has also led to the fragmentation of fans, with each group becoming devoted to individual players. This shift is evident in the heated arguments between fans, not only about popular players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma but also extending to emerging talents like Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, and Ruturaj Gaikwad. While this trend has elevated the status of these players, it doesn’t truly represent the broader fanbase of Indian cricket.
Notably, even cricket legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev have expressed their concerns about the impact of money and fame on players’ attitudes, leading to the development of “ego” and “arrogance” among them.
As the 2023 World Cup draws near and with the remarks from Gavaskar and Kapil Dev spreading widely, senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come forward, appealing to the fans to adopt a more positive outlook towards Team India. According to Ashwin, the Indian team stands out as the most hard-working and dedicated group globally, deserving the fans’ unwavering support.
In his recent YouTube video, R Ashwin said: “All the teams come here to win the tournament. If we don’t win the World Cup, then we move on. If we win, we appreciate them. The least I am asking is, when we get into the 2023 World Cup, let us send the team will full of positivity. Winning a World Cup is not easy. All of us are hindsight kings. It’s not that easy. We have qualified for the semi-finals of almost all major events. On that day, we have not been good enough.”
With India hosting the mega event this time, R Ashwin, who was a part of the squad that won the 2011 World Cup at home, also emphasized the importance of strong backing from the home crowd and said How it can be a game-changer.
“What should we do to be good enough on that day? We need lots and lots of positivity. They should feel, “the public has got our back”. They should be able to execute their skill on the particular day. You can never see a hardworking team like India in the world. You should see how hard the players toil in practice sessions, gym and so on,” Ashwin further added.
It hurts me to see some of the comments: R Ashwin on trolling the Indian Team
Ashwin took a dig at all the critics and trollers for mocking Indian Team, R Ashwin said: “It is very easy to pass comments sitting from outside. It hurts me to see some of the comments. Do you know how hard the players work? So, we can spread positivity for these hardworking cricketers. Automatically, the results will take care of itself. Even if we don’t win, let’s continue to support our team and encourage them to play better.”
“We won the World Cup in 2011, Champions Trophy in 2013, but we haven’t won an ICC trophy in 10 years. Before every tournament, people say, “India hasn’t won an ICC tournament for a long time. We won in 1983, 2007, 2011 and 2013. We should be proud of how far we have come as a cricketing nation. Let us assimilate positivity into our team. This is an earnest request,” he concluded.
