‘I am an overthinker’- Ravichandran Ashwin opens up about trauma that he and his family has gone through

Ravichandran Ashwin has come a long way in his career as a cricketer. The off-spinner has gone from being vital to India’s top priority across formats to becoming a specialist before ultimately returning to white-ball cricket. Ashwin’s omission from India’s playing XI for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia became one of the most talked-about topics on social media.

The 36-year-old, who has found himself in similar situations several times, opened out about the ‘trauma’ he and his family have experienced over the years, as well as the ‘overthinker’ label that has been bestowed upon him. When it comes to international cricket, Ashwin isn’t one of the first names on the team sheets. The Indian squad preferred Ravindra Jadeja for the solitary spinner’s position in the WTC final against Australia.

A lot of people marketed me and positioned me that I am an overthinker: Ravichandran Ashwin

There is a sense that Ashwin has a tendency to ‘overthink’ on occasion, which has worked against him in several instances. In an interview with the Indian Express, Ashwin stated that the label of ‘overthinker’ was developed to work against him. The Tamil Nadu spinner said, “A lot of people marketed me and positioned me that I am an overthinker. A person who will get 15-20 matches on the go doesn’t have to be mentally overthinking. A person who knows that they will get only two games will be traumatised and will be overthinking because it’s my job. It’s my journey. So this is what suits me.”

“If somebody is going to tell me, ‘you’re going to play 15 matches, you will be looked after, you will be this, you are responsible for players, you are in the leadership role, I won’t be overthinking. Why would I? It’s unfair to actually say somebody’s an overthinker because that person’s journey is his own. And nobody has a right or business to do that.”

During the interview, Ashwin also stated that his family, particularly his father, suffers twice as much anguish as he does when it comes to such things. He said, “The moment, the final finished I put out a tweet because I realised one thing is that I need closure. The moment I get the closure I can move on. There is no time to hang around. I have understood life a lot better now.”