I sometimes feel sorry for my critics – R Ashwin

India’s ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was at his best in his first ICC T20 World Cup game against Afghanistan. Apart from taking two wickets, he conceded just 14 runs from his quota of 4 overs.

The off-spinner has slammed his critics for speaking against his selection in the World Cup squad.

“For a lot of people who are giving expert opinions on the game, I sometimes feel sorry for them. I have been playing this format since 2007-08, and every two years, the game leaves our realms and it teaches us something because the game is so fast-paced.

“I feel the understanding of the game is still backward in so many ways. For me when you say a bowler has to pick wickets, for fast bowlers there are different plans and for spinners, there are different plans,” said Ashwin.

He will now take on Scotland in the next match. Ashwin stated that it is not easy to take a wicket and when a bowler dismisses a batter, it is because of a previous bowler who has bowled an exceptional over to build pressure on the rivals.

“There are different lengths that you cannot afford to bowl as you do in a Test match. Wicket-taking is not something that just happens. Experts say that the game is about partnerships. Every time a bowler is picking wickets, there is an over that was bowled well before. I think I expect too much from the people who watch the game. This is how I play the game and in the process, if I keep taking wickets, I do that,” Ashwin added.