Australia spinner Nathan Lyon didn’t hold back after he was dropped from the playing XI for the second Ashes Test against England at the Gabba, Brisbane.
Speaking after stumps on the opening day, the premier off-spinner stated that he is feeling absolutely “filthy” about being benched. The remark went viral in no time, with several pundits and fans hailing the veteran spinner for being honest and clear about his feelings. However, this statement also led some to ask why Indian players don’t do the same when they are dropped from the playing XI.
The same query was posed to Ravichandran Ashwin in a recent YouTube discussion. It is worth mentioning that the spinner who retired from international cricket last December was time and time again benched during overseas tours, and not once did the spinner come out in public to speak about his feelings.
However, the recent Lyon incident prompted the host to ask Ashwin straight up whether he had ever considered doing the same after being shown the door. The 39-year-old first tried to laugh it out, but in the end, he did share his insight, saying that doing so in India comes with its own challenges as a player has a lot at stake and he has a lot to lose out on.
“Nathan Lyon is lucky. If anyone is dropped from the team, the emotions would be similar to what Lyon expressed in front of the world. He got the media to express his views, and he did just that. The Australian team wouldn’t feel bad, and he would play the Adelaide Test. I am just happy for Nathan Lyon,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
“People have emotions, and they will do just that. However, I cannot express my emotions, because if I do, I will lose out, and only my harm will be caused. So why will I do that? However, I really respect Nathan Lyon; he let his emotions out. Good on him,” he added.
‘Collateral damage’
However, Ashwin also said that Indian players are allowed to say whatever they want to but in the end, they always think about the long goal and whether there would be any collateral damage.
“We, as Indian cricketers, are allowed to express our opinion. No one is stopping us. But what is collateral damage? Your expression and emotion are not given as much respect because you will be stamped as a person of a certain character for doing that. I hope this will change with the passage of time, and it should,” he said.
The second-highest wicket-taker for India in international cricket then spoke about the difference of culture and how players here don’t find it that easy to share their piece of mind with the public.
“Just take the example of Chris Gayle, he was a high-quality player. He used to hit sixes for fun. He himself said, ‘I am the Universe Boss’, and we accepted that. Now imagine, tomorrow, Abhishek Sharma comes to the press conference wearing a big chain and exclaims to the world, ‘I am the Universe Boss’,” said Ashwin.
“Will we accept him? No. Because in our mind, there is a conditioning that we need to credit someone else, no matter how hard we have worked. I hope that really changes,” he concluded.