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'I'm Happy With 5 Friends, Don’t...': Ravi Shastri Fires Back at Ashwin's 'Colleagues' Remark

image-lj9vkb7kFormer India head coach Ravi Shastri | Source: Twitter 

India endured a devastating 209-run defeat against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval in June. One of the key talking points following the loss was the omission of India's star off-spinner, R Ashwin, from the playing XI. 

The cricketing fraternity and fans criticized Rohit Sharma and the Indian management for this decision as the Australia's star spinner Nathan Lyon, picked up four wickets in India’s second innings and emerged as the highest wicket-taker. 

Many firmly believe that had R Ashwin been part of India's playing XI in the WTC final, he could have had a tremendous impact on the match. 

Meanwhile, Ashwin reflecting on the WTC final defeat, recently voiced his opinion on being sidelined for the marquee event and also talked about the various aspects of being a part of the Indian team. 

One of his statements during the interview caused a stir on social media, as he said that there are "colleagues" rather than "friends" in the dressing room. 

Here’s what Ashwin told The Indian Express:

“This is an era where everybody is a colleague. Once upon a time when cricket was played, all your teammates were friends. Now, they’re colleagues. There’s a big difference because here people are there to advance themselves and to stride ahead of another person sitting to your right or left.” 

Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri, the former head coach of the Indian cricket team, responded to this statement made by the Tamil Nadu cricketer in an interview with The Week. Shastri bluntly asserted that there will always be 'colleagues,' whether it's in the dressing room or the commentary box. 

Here’s what Ravi Shastri said:

“For me, it was always colleagues. You will have buddies who are colleagues. I mean... how many close friends do anyone have? If you go and ask anyone, they will say 4-5... in their life! I'm happy with 5 close friends in my life, I don't want more than that.” 


“What I'm saying is, all the time, colleagues. Commentary box, colleagues.” 

Ashwin has been picked up in India’s Test squad against West Indies. Currently, he is busy playing the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2023 where he leads the table-toppers Dindigul Dragons.