ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Ashwin’s reaction after being dropped against Pakistan is respect-worthy

It seems the only problem for the Indian cricket team at the moment is a problem of plenty. Having to drop world-class players like Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane and Mohammed Shami is just the sort of sweet predicament captain Virat Kohli would want to have. Even with the trio not finding space in Team India’s playing XI in their ICC Champions Trophy 2017 opener against Pakistan, it didn’t stop the defending champions from registering a thumping victory.

While most lauded Kohli for picking the right team combination, there were some who wondered how a champion performer like Ashwin could be left out.

Ahead of India’s match against Sri Lanka on Thursday, this was a question that was bound to come up in front of Kohli. While the skipper seemed proud of India’s bench-strength when quizzed about Shami’s omission, he did pause a little when a reporter asked him how one handled the ego of a big player like Ashwin.

“Ashwin is a high-class bowler, everyone knows that,” said Kohli during the pre-match press conference. “He’s very professional as well. He understood the dynamic of the side we picked in the last game. He was absolutely fine with it.

“Yes, we do have disagreements on …read more