“What workload, dude? Stop complaining” - Ravichandran Ashwin discloses weird comment from ‘doctor’ on workload management of players

Veteran Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed that he received a strange comment with regard to player workload management from a person claiming to be a doctor in one of his recent YouTube videos.

Ashwin, who is currently preparing for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that begins on February 9, hosts a weekly cricket round-up show on his YouTube channel. Last week, workload management was one of the topics he opened up about.

After sharing his views on the same, he requested comments from users. Ashwin was quite bemused by one of the replies he received. Sharing details about the same in his latest YouTube video, the 36-year-old said:

“One of the guys commented, ‘What workload, dude? In our days, we played non-stop anywhere and everywhere without wearing slippers too. So, what difficulty do you have in playing? Stop complaining’. This was his comment, and he was a doctor as well. I don’t know if he is a real doctor or an aspiring one.”

Stating that he found the comment very surprising since it was coming from a so-called doctor, he opined that elite-level cricket cannot be compared even with first-class cricket. Ashwin elaborated:

“The level of intensity won’t be the same. People who work five days a week and play during the weekend will wonder how good it will be if they play for all seven days. However, many of you may have experienced pain in hand and leg while playing. I am not stressing about the pain. Every player will have pain, but it is their profession.”

Workload management has led to a major debate in international cricket over the last couple of years. A number of big names, including Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes, have taken breaks from the game to deal with the fatigue factor

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“For me, sitting in front of a computer will be even more tiring” - Ravichandran Ashwin

Trying to drive home his point on the importance of workload management, Ashwin opined that only players can understand what they are going through, adding that it is very easy to comment from the outside. He continued:

“Even I can say that we are playing under the hot sun and people who work sitting in front of a computer are blessed. But no, I have also studied in front of a computer and, even now, on some days, I get the requirement to sit and work in front of the computer. For me, sitting in front of a computer will be even more tiring than playing under the hot sun.”

Speaking of India’s schedule for 2023, they began by taking on Sri Lanka and New Zealand in white-ball contests at home. After the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, they will face Australia in three ODIs, which will be followed by the Indian Premier League (IPL).