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Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has supported chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir after fresh criticism over team selection during the ongoing three-match ODI series against Afghanistan on home soil.
India recently won the ODI series with a strong performance against Afghanistan, the final ODI will be played on June 20 in Chennai, but the selection of young fast bowler Gurnoor Brar over Auqib Nabi is gradually becoming a topic of national debate. Nevertheless, Gurnoor Brar took away credit from Gautam Gambhir for his brilliant performance against Afghanistan.
Gurnoor Brar justified the selection with a strong performance
Many fans questioned the decision, but Gurnoor Brar performed really well in the first two ODIs against Afghanistan, taking six wickets. The performance of this young fast bowler has played an important role in giving India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series at home.
After India won the ODI series, Ravichandran Ashwin defended the selectors and said that they should not only be judged when questions arise but also appreciated when their decisions work.
The former Indian off-spinner also revealed that Gurnoor Brar must have shown something special in domestic cricket or training sessions which reassured the selectors and the team management.
He further pointed out that under the leadership of Agarkar and Gambhir, India have already achieved great success in white-ball cricket, including major ICC titles, which shows that their process is working really well. But Aakash Chopra targeted Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir over the treatment of Mohammed Siraj.
Ravichandran Ashwin defends Ajit Agarkar-Gautam Gambhir and supports the selection process
Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, “Agarkar has played a lot of cricket for India and made a lot of appearances. So, he knows enough about cricket. The way people are criticizing, you would think that Agarkar and Gambhir don’t know anything about cricket. If anyone thinks Nabi is marginalised, they can call it out. But to say that Gurnoor Brar or his selection is useless is wrong.”
The former Indian all-rounder further added, “Something about him must have caught the attention of the selectors, which is why he is paid big money. The same applies for coaches. They live by the sword and die by it. Just like he is criticized when things go wrong, now it is important to praise him when things go right and Brar performs well.”
Ravichandran Ashwin sends strong message after Prince Yadav’s mixed Lucknow outing
Ashwin also backed Prince Yadav, who conceded 56 runs in 7.3 overs but made a spectacular comeback with two wickets in the second ODI against Afghanistan in Lucknow on June 17.
The cricket pundit said that every young bowler goes through ups and downs, but the most important thing is how they react after difficult situations. He believes that such experiences will help Prince become a stronger and more complete bowler in the future.
Ashwin said, “Going from good to great is a journey, and one you will learn and achieve only towards the end of your career. This is only the beginning for Prince Yadav, and you are not expected to have a remarkably good start. So, there is nothing to take home from his expensive spell. Yes, a good spell would have been a confidence booster. But now he will still learn and grow.”
