India off-spinner R Ashwin chose not to reply to a question about Virat Kohli's preference for wrist spinners in limited-overs cricket during an interaction with the media in Chennai on Sunday, October 8.
Ashwin though is confident of making a return to the ODI and T20I sides in the near future. However, the 31-year-old revealed he is not desperate for the opportunity.
The world number three Test bowler, along with Ravindra Jadeja (world number two), were left out of the Indian ODI and T20I squads for Sri Lanka tour and the ongoing home series against Australia.
Kuldeep, Chahal shine under Kohli
Wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have become Kohli's go-to men in the limited-overs format. The two have repaid their faith the selectors and the captain had in them with consistent performances in the recent past.
Kuldeep and Chahal bamboozled the Australian batsmen during India's 4-1 win in the recently-concluded ODI series, picking up 13 wickets between them. Both the bowlers struck in the middle overs, much to the delight of Kohli, who has been vocal in his praise for the pair.
Notably, Ashwin and Jadeja struggled to get the breakthroughs in the middle overs over the last few years and it was evident during India's Champions Trophy campaign in June. The duo was taken to the cleaners in the final against Pakistan, which India lost by 180 runs.
When asked whether his absence from the ODI side was due to the team management's preference for wrist spinners, Ashwin sidestepped the question and instead said he is not missing anything while being away from the limited-overs team.
"The day I become a decision maker, I'll probably be in a better position to answer that question. I'm not a decision maker, as of now. I have never played for the crowds. I enjoy my game and even if I am playing a fifth-division match, I'll enjoy it a lot. The atmosphere doesn't matter," Ashwin said, as quoted by "Cricbuzz".
He added: "Obviously, I'll raise my game to the occasion but I definitely love playing the game so I am not missing anything at all."
'I have trained pretty madly'
Ashwin though said he is hopeful of wearing the blue jersey soon. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder, who is currently playing Ranji Trophy 2017/18 opener against Andhra in Chennai, also said he is ready to crack the yo-yo fitness test, which has been a major hurdle for the comebacks of Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina.
The BCCI is also keen on making the endurance test mandatory for all players, according to reports. The yo-yo test will also be among the crucial parameters for Test selection.
"I know one day the opportunity will come knocking on my door because I haven't done too much wrong. When I get that opportunity, I'll probably rise to the occasion," Ashwin said.
He added: "I'm a man of the system. Any system put in place I strive to give the best of my abilities to try and match up to it. Every leader has his own vision of how to bring the team about, and this is the vision of the current leadership group. It's very important to respect it. If I was a leader, I would expect everyone else to respect it.
"I have been doing some great conditioning ever since I missed the IPL [Indian Premier League]. I have trained pretty madly. I am completely in compliance with whatever they do."
