Image Credit- PTI
Former England captain Michael Vaughan sparked a
discussion last week when he implied that despite having a lot of skill and
resources, the Indian cricket team had not performed to its full potential.
Vaughan says India hasn’t really done well, especially since they haven’t won
any world titles in the last ten years. This talk was started by Vaughan during
a panel discussion on Fox Sports that took place during Australia and
Pakistan’s second Test match at the MCG.
“They haven’t won much in recent times. I think
they are (an underachieving side). They don’t win anything. When was the last
time they won something? With all the talent they have, all the skill-set (they
should have achieved more,” said Vaughan.
The prominent off-spinner for India, Ravichandran
Ashwin, has now responded to Vaughan’s statement. Even while Ashwin
acknowledged that India hasn’t been able to duplicate its bilateral series
victories in ICC competitions, he maintained that the Test team has remained
“among the best” in recent years.
“Michael Vaughan made a statement after the first Test
that India is an underachieving team. Yes, we haven’t won ICC trophies for
years. We call ourselves the powerhouses of the game. But the Test team has
been one of the best traveling teams in the vicinity. We have seen many great
results,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“After he said that, so many experts from our own
country started questioning if India is an underachieving team. Frankly, it
made me laugh. Picture yourself. Just reverse the situation. SA batted first in
this Test after winning the toss. If SA had batted first after winning the toss
in Centurion, wasn’t there a chance they could have gotten all out by 65? Even
India was staring at the barrel at 20/3, thanks to Virat and Shreyas’
partnership from there to save us.”