'I have got no sympathy for my journey'

Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed the true intentions behind his tweet following India's loss in the World Test Championship final, stating that it was an act to bring an end to the lingering saga of his omission from the playing XI.

In the highly anticipated WTC final against Australia, the Indian team opted for Ravindra Jadeja as the sole spinner, leaving Ashwin out. This decision sparked widespread conversation on social media platforms.

The veteran spinner shed light on his tweet that came after India's loss in the WTC final, clarifying that it was meant to bring an end to the discussions surrounding his omission from the playing XI.

Ashwin's tweet, which read, 'Congratulations Australia on winning this #WTCFinal and closing out this cycle of test cricket. It is disappointing to end up on the wrong side of things, nevertheless, it was a great effort over the last 2 years or so to get here in the first place', was aimed to provide closure to the matter, as revealed by Ashwin himself.

Speaking to the Indian Express newspaper, Ashwin disclosed that he felt the need for closure immediately after the final ended. He expressed that he wanted to move forward swiftly without dwelling on the situation.

Ashwin also emphasised the emotional toll the final had on his family, particularly his father who has health issues. Each game and every moment impacted his father, causing immense stress.

'The more I see it, the kind of trauma toll it takes on my family is incredible. My father has a heart problem and other issues. Every single game, every single day, something happens, he will call me. He is stressed.

'It's very easy for me to go out and play because it is still in my control. For my father, it is not and he goes through double of what I do. So looking at this in hindsight, everybody on the outside is irrelevant.'

Ashwin also expressed his displeasure with the sympathy messages he received.

'I have got no sympathy for my journey. It's very easy for me to go back and say, okay, this didn't happen for me or something happened for him. I don't give myself one second of sympathy. That's why I put that tweet because I wanted closure. I hated the fact that people are giving me sympathy, I just couldn't take it anymore.'

'In this social media age, you don't play and sometimes you are bigger than if you had played the game, right? People are talking, 'if he had played we would have won'. I am not sure if I had played, we would have won.

'I would have given my best and I definitely think I gave myself the best opportunity to succeed there. I also think I earned my stripes. That's all I can do. But the moment it got done, I just wanted to move on and focus on the TNPL for Dindigul Dragons,' he added.