Former India cricketer, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, has launched a blistering attack on Indian spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, by calling him a selfish player, who took most of his wickets on doctored pitches.
In a series of tweets, Sivaramakrishnan, himself a former spin bowler, wrote, “I am telling you. Ashwin is a selfish stats player.”
A Twitter user praised the Indian selectors for including Ashwin for the World Cup stating that he will be handy both with the ball and as a batter in the lower order. Sivaramakrishnan replied, “Indian batsman are struggling against spin because the pitches in India are doctored for Ashwin in Test matches. Look at his record in SENA Countries.”
“378 wickets in India. He is still playing because there is nobody else,” he wrote.
Sivaramakrishnan said that Ashwin had only taken 70 wickets in SENA (South Africa, England, New Sealand and Australia) countries.
The former India cricketer also accused Ashwin of taking wickets on doctored wickets. He wrote, “Any fool will get wickets on tampered pitches in India.” He added, “Go straight from the airport to the ground and tell the ground staff what areas to tamper, I have seen with my own eyes several times.”
Sivaramakrishnan also called Ashwin a ‘liability fielder’ and ‘most unfit cricketer’, who ‘gives excuses for everything.’
When a user sarcastically pointed out that he had failed to find a place in the list of commentators despite being associated with the BJP, Sivaramakrishnan replied, “I am not in BJP for recommendation. I am in BJP for the betterment of our country. I have lived 3/4ths of my life. I don’t have any great ambitions.”
However, moments later, he left with everyone confused by claiming that Ashwin had called him to discuss his bowling action. “Ravi Ashwin was nice enough to call me just a while ago to discuss his bowling action, he was as shocked with the venom of the trolls as I was . Also clarified that the people involved are in NO WAY connected to him. GOOD LUCK @ashwinravi99 Do us proud.”
