'Felt absolutely crushed': Ashwin on Ravi Shastri terming Kuldeep as India's no.1 overseas spinner

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has admitted that he felt "crushed" when former head coach Ravi Shastri lavished praise on Kuldeep Yadav following a brilliant run during the Australia series. Kuldeep had bagged a five-wicket haul in Sydney Test in 2019 and Shastri had termed the leg spinner as "India's No. 1 overseas spinner". While the game ended in a draw, India won the series Down Under.

"I hold Ravi bhai in high esteem. We all do. And I understand we all can say things and then retract them. In that moment, though, I felt crushed. Absolutely crushed. We all talk about how important it is to enjoy your team-mates' success," ESPNcricinfo quoted Ashwin as saying. "And I was happy for Kuldeep. I have not been able to get a five-for but he has a five-for in Australia. I know how big it is. Even when I have bowled well [at other times], I haven't ended up with a five-for. So I am genuinely happy for him. And it's an extremely happy occasion, to win in Australia," he added.

The Indian off-spinner said he felt as if he was thrown under the bus and was feeling left out from the team's success party following the series win against Australia. "But if I have to come and partake in his happiness, and the success of the team, I must feel like I belong there. If I feel like I am being thrown under the bus, how am I supposed to get up and come for a party to enjoy the team's or team-mate's success? I went back to my room and then I spoke to my wife," said Ashwin.

"And my children were there. So we were able to, you know, shrug it off, and I still made it to the party, because, end of the day, we had won a massive series," he added. Ashwin will now be seen in action when South Africa and India lock horns in the three-match Test series, beginning on December 26.