Ashwin gets a warm welcome in hometown

Spinner R Ashwin, who featured in just two matches in India's successful World Cup campaign but made his presence felt with a terrific show against Australia, was accorded a warm welcome in his native place in Chennai on Monday. A lot of fans gathered outside his house and cheered the off-spinner on his arrival from Mumbai, where he met President Pratibha Patil at Raj Bhawan on Sunday.

A few excited fans lifted the shy cricketer on their shoulders and some other welcomed him by burning firecrackers. Ahswin's parents arranged for a care-cutting ceremony on the occasion.

Asked if he felt disappointed on missing out on playing the final against Sri Lanka, Ashwin replied in a negative. "I am happy that skipper M S (Dhoni) used me as a weapon when he needed me. It's great honour to get into the World Cup squad in first place, forget about winning it," he said.

"Although being in the sidelines is different from being in the playing eleven. But all of us were striving to win the Cup. I might have been close to playing in the final but it did not happen. However, to me it is secondary to India winning the trophy and that moment of glory takes precedence," he added.

Ashwin was not picked for the final match against Sri Lanka, with Dhoni going with S Sreesanth as a third seamer in the team.

Narrating his best moments during the tough seven weeks of the competition, Ashwin said he was not only thrilled to see Sachin Tendulkar perform well but is also happy to have interacted with the batting maestro.

"Sachin not only excelled in this competition but he had always came up with strong suggestions and kept encouraging all other members of the team," he said.

The spinner said peaking at right time was behind the success of the Indian team.

"It (World Cup win) means a lot. We have been on road for nearly two months. We have gone through little bit up and little but down. The most important thing was to peak at right time," Ashwin said.

"Somehow, whatever it is...some super power or what, we peaked at the right time and I am happy that we won the tournament.

"It was a dream come true for me and my joy knows no bounds. This victory is the result of great effort by the team. I am lucky to have played alongside Sachin Tendulkar and the skipper Dhoni," he added.

Ashwin took two wickets each against the West Indies and Australia in the World Cup and also got backing from several former players for inclusion in the final XI.

"Dismissing Shane Watson (Australia) was a good one and then dismissing Ricky Ponting was the icing on the cake. I will cherish my Ahmedabad experience forever," said Ashwin.