Glad My Comments On Kuldeep Made Ashwin Rise To The Challenge: Ravi Shastri

Former Indian men's cricket team coach Ravi Shastri said if praising Kuldeep Yadav hurt Ravichandran Ashwin, then he is glad to have made the comments as it made Ashwin rise to the challenge.

Speaking to the Indian Express, Shastri said, "My job is not to butter everyone's toast. My job is to state facts without agenda. If my statement on Kuldeep hurt Ashwin, I'm glad I made that statement. It made him do something different."

In an interview with ESPN Cricinfo, Ashwin said that he felt hurt after Shastri called Kuldeep India's no 1 overseas bowler and also added that he felt that the Indian cricket system is insensitive to players when they struggle with injuries.

Shastri stated that Ashwin was told to stay fit to last an entire series saying that the diktat has worked. "The message to Ashwin in 2018 was that he had to be fit. He has worked on that and look how he is bowling now. He is world-class. The way Ashwin bowled in 2019 and the way he has bowled in 2021, it’s chalk and cheese," he said.