Ashwin reveals why Ravi Shastri was not very happy with his 2018 “masterclass”

Ravichandran Ashwin appeared in the Sky Sports Masterclass in 2018, dissecting every aspect of his bowling with Ian Ward. This video has since become a documentary of sorts for all budding spinners worldwide. It also gave a peek into Ashwin's brilliant mind and how he operates with a ball in hand.

While it was instinctive of Ashwin to do what he did, one person wasn’t very happy with it. Ravi Shastri, then India’s head coach, felt Ashwin shouldn’t have revealed the nitty gritty of his bowling with Sky Sports, something he felt could later be used against the veteran. However, Ashwin never felt insecure about it.

“I got a real pasting from Ravi Shastri for doing that masterclass. I’m sure you’ve heard about that from him. I think he had his point, but somehow, inside me, I never felt insecure about it. I think there are two things in the game, right?, Ashwin said. 

“One is to be able to deliver what you have and the other is to be able to respond to what you throw down the other end and I always believed and I had the courage to say here’s what I have to dish out,” Ashwin said on Sky Sports podcast with Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton.

“Let’s see if you’ve got it in you to come at me and very few times I found that the batters have not had the courage to come at me for that and I think it’s all it also plays a very deep mental game. Probably it’s a battle I have in my own head but all that aside, I’ve never been shy of sharing what I’ve got because for me, every time I shared, I found a question inside me so when I shared and I got a question I had this unique capability to be able to take that question on board and find answers for it,” he added.

Shortly after the completion of the third Test in Brisbane, Ashwin announced retirement from international cricket while announcing that he’d continue playing in the IPL and other club competitions.