Days after Hardik Pandya had mentioned in the post match presenatation how he was not too pleased with the arrangements made by West Indies Cricket Board regarding their travel, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has echoed similar views. The experienced bowler highlighted that the practice facilities were not of the highest standards during India’s two-match Test series against West Indies. A veteran of 94 Test matches, Ashwin, reckoned that West Indies players tend to struggle as they lack suitable training facilities.
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“We played at the Barbados Test Centre. While we practiced in the nets, there was no grass left on the surface. Their nets looked too old. I am not saying these things to blame them. I actually feel really bad for them. If the infrastructure is like this in their Test centre, then how hard their cricketers should work to get better? Because once they practice under these conditions, and suddenly when they come to India and play on a slightly quicker surface, it will be difficult for them to adjust,” Ashwin said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.
“West Indies were a powerhouse in 1975-79 period. Some of them will say that it was all due to the superstar cricketers who played for West Indies at that time. But I feel that for cricket to improve in a country, the primary improvement should start from the infrastructure. Even the U10, U12, and U14 kids from their country should get a decent net and ground. They should get the accessibility to play their matches. This is a talent-driven sport and a hardworking sport. So, if a kid works hard, he or she will definitely get better,” he added.
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Ashwin then went on to share how India have managed to build a proper cricketing infrastructure which is not restricted to a handful of cities but spread across a lot of cities. However, he did note that earlier the infrastructure was skewed and was restricted to major Test centres like Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and so on.
