The veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin highlighted India's hardworking cricket team and pleaded with fans to support them in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023. India's latest struggles in the ICC tournament, especially in the knockout stages, have left fans worried about their chances in the marquee tournament at home.
Ashwin, 36, is not part of India's current ODI setup having last played in January 2022. But the veteran pacer backs the Rohit Sharma-led side and is asking fans to do the same with positive backing.
India struggled to reach the finals of the last ODI World Cup in 2019 and the last T20 World Cup in 2022. They also lost in the final of the ICC World Test Championship against Australia this year as their wait for the ICC trophy stretches over 10 years. Ashwin said that the public's positive backing is crucial for the Indian players who he believes that are working very hard in practice sessions and gym.
"What should we do to be good enough on that day? We need lots and lots of positivity. They should feel, “the public has got our back”. They should be able to execute their skill on the particular day. You can never see a hardworking team like India in the world. You should see how hard the players toil in practice sessions, gym and so on,” Ravi Ashwin said in an interview with the Week.
Once again, the Men in Blue will enter the ICC tournament as favorites and will have a home advantage this year. Ashwin added that making remarks on the team's performance is easy and those comments hurt him.
“It is very easy to pass comments sitting from outside. It hurts me to see some of the comments. Do you know how hard the players work? So, we can spread positivity for these hardworking cricketers. Automatically, the results will take care of itself. Even if we don’t win, let’s continue to support our team and encourage them to play better,” Ashwin added.
