R Ashwin Willing To 'Pay Money' To Attend This Team's Dressing Room Meetings. Not India Or CSK
Ravichandran Ashwin provided an interesting anecdote after the first India vs New Zealand ODI
- Ravichandran Ashwin praised New Zealand's analytical approach and execution in the first ODI vs India
- "I hope to sit down with them and observe their planning; I am even willing to pay money for it," he said
- "The way they execute plans, I would pay to sit in their team meetings to understand their approach," he added
Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube channel is one of the most followed in the sports section across India. The former India spinner offers insights and anecdotes that may not be readily found elsewhere. The same was seen after the first India vs New Zealand ODI. India chased down a 301-run target with one over to spare, but not without being made to work hard by the Blackcaps. At one stage, India went from being 234/2 to 279/6 before KL Rahul ensured there was no late drama. Ashwin lauded New Zealand's fight, despite being without some of their top stars.
"A lot of the top teams aren't very analytically driven. New Zealand is a very analytically driven side. I hope to sit down with them and observe their planning; I am even willing to pay money for it if needed. The way they execute their plans, I would pay to sit in their team meetings to understand how they go about it," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
"We must give credit to New Zealand for the way they were ready to fight in the game. They didn't stop till the end, and that's why they were able to come back into the game. I also posted a tweet that New Zealand don't have a lot of strength in their squad, in terms of man-to-man. But because of their discipline, fielding, and how they execute their plans well, they are able to fight and compete with some of the top teams."
He was blunt enough to say that India did not play consistently well throughout the match. "The most impressive was the New Zealand team. India didn't play the best cricket. There were pockets where Harshit Rana bowled really well and batted really well," he said.
"Another positive was Virat Kohli-what batting! His movements and footwork, he played a shot against Kristian Clarke, maybe, where he showed all three stumps. Kristian Clarke followed him, not allowing him enough space to open his hands, and he ended up hitting a four with a flick," Ashwin remarked.
India next play New Zealand in the second ODI in Rajkot on Wednesday.
Ravichandran Ashwin
India Cricket Team
New Zealand Cricket Team