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Former head coach of Indian cricket team Ravi Shastri has hit back at Ravichandran Ashwin by saying that his job is not to butter anyone's toast but to state facts. While speaking at an event, the former head coach reportedly said that if Ashwin felt hurt after being dropped out over Kuldeep Yadav then "I am happy as I motivated him to do well."
Ravi Shastri, widely known for his candid nature, clarified that Kuldeep Yadav did well against Australia while Ashwin was not even in the playing XI. "Ashwin did not play the Test in Sydney and Kuldeep bowled well. So, it’s fair I give Kuldeep a chance. If that hurts Ashwin, I am very happy. It made him do something different. My job is not to butter everyone’s toast. My job is to state facts without an agenda”, Shastri said in a conversation with Indian Express e.Adda.
Shastri also suggested Ashwin to take criticism as a challenge instead of crying over it. “If your coach challenges you, what will you do, go home crying and say I won’t come back? I, as a player, would take it as a challenge, to prove the coach wrong. If my statement on Kuldeep hurt Ashwin, I am glad I made that statement. It made him do something different”, Shastri added.
However, Shastri also praised Ashwin for coming back stronger than ever and becoming a world-class bowler. "The way Ashwin bowled in 2019 and the way he has bowled in 2021 is chalk and cheese. About throwing Ashwin under the bus, he need not worry because I had told the bus driver to stop 2-3 feet short. The message to Ashwin in 2018 was that he had to be fit. He has worked on that and looks at how’s bowling now. He’s world-class,” Shastri added.
Earlier, R Ashwin had expressed his disappointment with Shastri after latter ranked Kuldeep Yadav as the number one spinner overseas in 2018. Ashwin said he felt hurt and thought he didn't belong in the dressing room. "… I felt crushed. Absolutely crushed. 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? ", Ashwin was quoted as saying in an interview.
