Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was surrounded by controversy after India stormed past England in the third Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, earlier this week.
While many fans had slammed Yuvraj for criticizing the pitch used for the pink-ball, some criticized him for his tweet as speculating that it was a dig aimed at senior Indian off-spinner R Ashwin.
Yuvraj Singh had said that the likes of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh might have taken 1,000 and 800 Test wickets, respectively, had they played on such spin-friendly tracks.
In fact, Ashwin too had posted a quirky tweet on Friday, which many believed was an indirect reply to Yuvraj’s jibe. He, however, has now clarified that he has no issues with what Yuvraj tweeted and has the utmost respect for him.
“The reason behind my tweets was not regarding anyone in particular. When I read Yuvi paa’s tweet, I did not get affected, I did not find that tweet trying to tell us something. It just felt like a plain tweet. For me, the state of mind I am in right now, I did not find it wrong,” Ashwin told reporters on Saturday.
“I know Yuvi paa for a long time, I have the utmost respect for him. Some people amongst us tend to buy what people sell, I do not know the reason why certain people try to sell certain things, but it is clear it’s just a perception of what happens,” he added.
The cricketing fraternity has been divided ever since England were bowled out for 112 and 82 in the first and second innings respectively. While some felt that the pitch wasn’t suitable to bat on, some said that both teams could’ve batted better.