Qualifying for the WTC Final for 2nd time on the trot is no mean feat, says Ravichandran Ashwin

India’s veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes qualifying for the World Test Championship final for the second time on the bounce is no mean feat. India has been the most consistent team in the eight years in Test cricket and they are reaping rewards for the collective effort.

In the first cycle of the World Test Championship, India was by far the best team and qualified for the final after topping the points table. However, they could not cross the final hurdle against New Zealand as they lost by eight wickets.

On the other hand, India once again qualified for the final of WTC 2021-23 after winning 10 out of 18 matches they played. India lost five matches and drew three games.

India has been playing consistently while playing at home as well as the overseas conditions. Furthermore, a lot of credit for their success goes to their bowlers for delivering the goods consistently.

“The turnaround definitely started in 2014. MS Dhoni had just retired and we had all played for a few Tests, probably 2013 Tests, pretty early on and we had to start a journey of our own,” said Ashwin.

“Never easy without the seniors, but I can comfortably say that all the efforts we have put in have come really to fruition over the last two cycles of WTC. We are qualifying for the second time on the trot [to the WTC finals]. It is no mean feat,” Ashwin added.

The Rohit Sharma-led team qualified for the summit clash of WTC after a 2-1 series win against Australia, earlier in the year. Ashwin added they would have liked to win by a better margin but the visitors played well.

“We would have loved to win the series in India 3-1 or 3-0 or whatever it is but Australia played some good cricket. We weren’t able to do that. However, for the consistent cricket we have played, we’ve been rewarded with this final,” said Ashwin.

The WTC final between India and Australia will be played at the Oval from June 7.