Indian cricket’s modern ecosystem – powered by social media, fan armies and personal brands – is increasingly tilting the spotlight towards individuals. But for Ravichandran Ashwin, that shift risks pulling the game away from its central truth: the team must always come first. Speaking at the RevSportz Trailblazers Conclave 4.0, Ashwin backed India head coach Gautam Gambhir and his repeated calls for a team-first narrative, arguing that the conversation around Indian cricket has become too personality-driven. “Today every player is also an entrepreneur, so there’s branding and PR involved,” Ashwin said.
“That’s fine – everyone can have their fan base and opinions. But talking ill of another cricketer is something I would never do.” In Ashwin’s view, the real problem lies in how easily the discourse around the game shifts from cricket to comparisons between players.
He cited a recent instance when he posted a technical thread analysing the dismissals of Shubman Gill. What began as a purely cricketing discussion soon turned into a debate about players rather than technique.
“It was purely about the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ from a technical perspective,” Ashwin said. “But people turned it into comparisons with other players. That’s the problem – we take the game away from the centre and make it about individuals.”
That tendency, Ashwin suggested, has only intensified in the age of social media, where speculation spreads quickly and often without evidence. The off-spinner admitted players regularly come across rumours online – about dressing-room rifts or alleged disagreements – even when there is little basis for them.
“When you read something repeatedly on social media – that this player has a problem with that player and that’s why he isn’t playing – it can make you wonder if there’s something there,” he said.
“If someone hears it many times, it’s natural to start overthinking. That’s just human psychology.”
Ashwin also offered a personal example of why he believes the team must remain above individuals. Reflecting on difficult moments late in his career, here called conversations with his family, particularly when emotions ran high outside the dressing room.
“I’ve consistently told my father for 20 years – do not talk ill of another player when I am there in the house,” Ashwin said.
“For a dad to feel that way is understandable because it’s not just my dream, it’s his dream too. But I always tell him that another player also has a job to do.”
That philosophy extends to the team environment as well. Ashwin said that even if a coach decides it is time for a player to move on, it must be accepted as part of the larger responsibility of building a team.
“Gautam, the coach, has a job to do,” Ashwin said. “Even if he thinks I must move on, or Virat must move on, or Rohit must move on – it’s okay. That’s his job. “For Ashwin, the key is learning to detach the ego from the equation. “I’ve always wanted to shed ego,” he said.
“We are all human beings, it comes to us. But if you detach yourself from the ‘I’, things start making sense. “That sentiment, he believes, is what once defined Indian cricket. Ashwin pointed to VVS Laxman and his famous 281 against Australia in 2001 as an example of how the narrative used to revolve around the team rather than individual glory.
“That innings was celebrated because India won,” Ashwin said. “It wasn’t about elevating Laxman as an individual. “In an era where players operate as brands and every performance fuels online debates, Ashwin’s message was clear: fandom may celebrate individuals, but inside the dressing room, the only currency that matters is the team.