In a surprising revelation, veteran Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has opened up about his frustration during the ODI World Cup final against Australia. Ashwin disclosed that a conversation with Australia’s chief selector George Bailey left him “fuming” after the game. Australia emerged victorious, claiming their sixth ODI World Cup title by defeating India by six wickets.
After India set a below-par target of 240, Australia comfortably chased it down, with Travis Head scoring a century. Curious about Australia’s decision to bowl first, Ashwin approached Bailey for an explanation. However, the answer he received left him completely stunned.
“Australia totally deceived me personally. I was observing the pitch, trying to gauge if it was deteriorating at mid-innings, and that’s when I met George Bailey. I asked him why they didn’t bat first, as they usually do. He replied, ‘We have played IPL and bilateral series here a lot. Red soil disintegrates, but not black soil. Black soil gets better under lights with no impact of dew. However, black soil has good turn in the afternoon, and then it becomes like concrete at night.’ I was flabbergasted by his response,” Ashwin shared on his YouTube channel.
Just four days after the World Cup final, India and Australia are set to face each other again, but this time in a different format. The two teams will kick off a five-match T20I series, with the first game scheduled for later on Thursday. Suryakumar Yadav will lead India in the series, while Matthew Wade has been named captain for Australia.
Given the intense schedule, both teams are expected to field a second-string side, resting their senior players. The first T20I will take place at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
It remains to be seen how the T20I series unfolds and if Ashwin can make an impact after his disappointment in the World Cup final.
