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India’s veteran cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin countered former England captain Michael Vaughan‘s assertion that Team India is among the most ‘underachieving’ sides globally.
Michael Vaughan labels India as ‘underachieving’
Vaughan’s remarks, made during the Australia-Pakistan Test series commentary, followed India‘s loss in the opening game of their two-Test series against South Africa. Vaughan opined that despite India’s remarkable resources, they have failed to achieve ultimate success, particularly in ICC events.
Ravichandran Ashwin strongly counters Vaughan’s claim
Ashwin, nominated for the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year 2023, addressed Vaughan’s comments on his YouTube channel. He acknowledged India’s absence from ICC trophies in recent years but emphasized their outstanding Test cricket performances, particularly during overseas tours. Ashwin found amusement in Indian experts questioning the team’s underachieving status, expressing his laughter at such notions.
“Michael Vaughan made a statement after the first Test that India is an underachieving team. Yes, we haven’t won ICC trophies for years. We call ourselves the powerhouses of the game. But the Test team has been one of the best traveling teams in the vicinity. We have seen many great results. After he said that, so many experts from our own country started questioning if India is an underachieving team. Frankly, it made me laugh,” Ashwin said.
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Ashwin gives the example of South Africa series
The 37-year-old substantiated his stance with an example from the recent South Africa series, citing a role reversal between the first and second Tests.
“Picture yourself. Just reverse the situation. SA batted first in this Test (Cape Town) after winning the toss. If SA had batted first after winning the toss in Centurion, wasn’t there a chance they could have gotten all out by 65? Even India was staring at the barrel at 20/3, thanks to Virat and Shreyas’ partnership from there to save us,” the Chennai-born cricketer added.
Ashwin’s critique of critics
Ashwin further critiqued the tendency of Indian team critics to delve into unnecessary details, asserting that the team consistently proves its capability to stage comebacks, particularly in the challenging Test cricket format.
“So, both cricket and Test cricket are differentiated by fine margins. In a country like India, where we talk cricket in every nook and cranny and consider the sport a religion, I feel we criticise and nitpick too much and get into unnecessary details. I think these are blinding us,” Ashwin concluded.
