'My father goes through twice the trauma I do' - Ravichandran Ashwin dissects 'overthinker' tag associated to him

Ravichandran Ashwin (Source: Twitter)

Ravichandran Ashwin, one of the best players in the contemporary era, has had a remarkable journey. The off-spinner has seen a roller-coaster of a journey, from being essential to India's ambitions across formats to being a specialist before eventually returning to white-ball cricket. Ashwin's exclusion from India's starting XI for the World Test Championship final match against Australia quickly became one of the most talked-about topics on social media. The seasoned cricketer, who has encountered such circumstances numerous times, told up about the "trauma" he and his family have experienced over the years and the label of "overthinker" that has been attached to him.

Ashwin isn't one of the first names on the teamsheets for international Tests. The Indian team chose Ravindra Jadeja over any other spinner for the WTC championship match against Australia. There is a sense that Ashwin occasionally tends to "overthink," a mentality that has frequently worked against him. Ashwin claimed in a conversation with the Indian Express that the label of "overthinker" was made to be used against him.

"A lot of people marketed me and positioned me that I am an overthinker. A person who will get 15-20 matches on the go doesn't have to be mentally overthinking. A person who knows that they will get only two games will be traumatised and will be overthinking because it's my job. It's my journey. So this is what suits me," he said.

"If somebody is going to tell me, ‘You’re going to play 15 matches, you will be looked after, you will be this, you are responsible for players, you are in the leadership role, I won't be overthinking. Why would I? It's unfair to actually say somebody's an overthinker because that person's journey is his own. And nobody has a right or business to do that," he further said.

Ravichandran Ashwin talked extensively about his family, especially his father

Regarding the "overthinker" label, Ravichandran Ashwin claimed that every time the subject of assuming a "leadership role" has come up, a lot has been said about him.

"It was created to work against me, right? And as I said, there have been statements that people have made all along when leadership question has come my way, there have been people who are been out there telling, my name is not the first name on the sheet when India tour abroad.

"Whether that name is first on the sheet or not is something I can't control. If I earned it, it's got to be there and that's my belief. As I said, I have no complaints, I have no time to sit back and throw punches or regret or anything. I have no regrets about anyone," he explained.

In the interview, the Chennai-born also mentioned that when it comes to such things, his family, particularly his father, experiences twice the trauma that he does.

"The moment, the final finished I put out a tweet because I realised one thing is that I need closure. The moment I get the closure I can move on. There is no time to hang around. I have understood life a lot better now.

"The more I see it, the kind of trauma toll it takes on my family is incredible. My father has a heart problem and other issues. Every single game, every single day, something happens, he will call me. He is stressed. It's very easy for me to go out and play because it is still in my control. For my father, it is not and he goes through double of what I do. So looking at this in hindsight, everybody on the outside is irrelevant," Ashwin explained.