Ashwin retorts to Shastri’s comments, says ‘everyone needs break’

New Delhi: Taking on former India coach Ravi Shastri for his cryptic remarks on coach Rahul Dravid and senior players taking frequent breaks, Ravichandran Ashwin on Saturday bluntly said everyone needs a break and things can be interpreted differently.
“I will explain why Laxman has gone there with a completely different team because even that could be interpreted differently… Rahul Dravid and his team had specific in-depth plans for each venue and each opposition. So, they would have been under not only mental but also physical burnout and everyone needed a break,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“As soon as the New Zealand series ends, we have the Bangladesh tour. That’s why we have a different coaching staff led by Laxman for this tour,” he added.
Shastri, a couple of days back, had criticized Dravid’s absence from the tour.
“I do not believe in breaks. Because I want to understand my team, I want to understand my players and I want to then be in control of that team. These breaks… What do you need that many breaks for to be honest?
“You get 2-3 months of the IPL, that’s enough for you to rest as a coach. But other times, I think a coach should be hands on, whoever he is,” he told reporters at a virtual press conference ahead of the India-New Zealand series.
After India’s semifinal exit from the just-concluded T20 World Cup Down Under, the Indian team has hogged the flak, particularly captain Rohit Sharma and Dravid.
Dravid’s team selection and tactics have come under the scanner. Fans had pinned a lot of hopes on Dravid that he would turn around India’s fortunes at the big stages, especially since it has been almost 10 years since the country had lifted any title. (UNI)