Ashwin urges Indian cricketers to remain grounded, emphasises team goals over individual achievements, and questions the selection of five spinners for the Champions Trophy 2025.
February 16, 2025: Ravichandran Ashwin Calls Out “Superstar Culture” in Indian Cricket, Raises Concerns Over Team Selection for Champions Trophy
Since retiring from international cricket, Ravichandran Ashwin has become more vocal about his views on the game. Recently, he criticized the “superstar culture” in the Indian cricket team, urging players to stay grounded and focus on team goals over personal milestones.
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“Cricketers Are Not Superstars”: Ashwin’s Call for Change
Speaking on his Hindi YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’, Ashwin rejected the idea of cricketers being treated as celebrities, emphasizing that they should remain relatable to fans.
“It is important to normalise things in Indian cricket. We must not encourage this superstardom and super celebrities within the Indian cricket team. We are cricketers, not actors or superstars. We must be someone that the common people can resonate with and compare themselves with,” Ashwin said.
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Cites Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli as Examples
Ashwin mentioned Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, stating that their individual achievements should not overshadow team objectives.
“For example, if you are Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli, who have achieved so much, when you hit one more century, it should not just be about your achievement anymore. It should be business as usual, and our goals should be bigger than these achievements,” he added.
Questions India’s Champions Trophy Squad Composition
With India set to play in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Ashwin raised concerns over the selection of five spinners—Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy—in the 15-member squad.
“Five spinners in Dubai? I don’t know. I think we are one spinner too many, if not two. The two left-arm spinners (Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja) are your best all-rounders alongside Hardik Pandya. So, both of them will play. Hardik will also play, and Kuldeep will play. If you want Varun Chakravarthy in the team, then you will have to make a pacer sit out and use Hardik as your second pacer. Else, you will have to drop a spinner to bring in a third seamer,” Ashwin analyzed.
Team India Lands Dubai
The Indian squad and coaching staff reached Dubai on Saturday, preparing for their opening match against Bangladesh on February 20. Due to India’s decision not to travel to Pakistan, all their matches will be played in Dubai.
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Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Indian Cricket Team, Superstar Culture, Team India, Champions Trophy 2025, Gautam Gambhir, BCCI, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Dubai, Cricket Analysis