Former India captain Sachin Tendulkar believed a player as good as Ashwin didn’t need a turning track to be effective.
“Sometimes the spinners rely a lot on the bounce, sometimes that little bit of zip that they get off the pitch, also on the overhead conditions, and it depends a lot on the shiny side of the ball,” Tendulkar said before the final on his website 100mbsports. “If they are able to get that drift, they can make the ball talk in the air without the pitch coming into play.”
Also, former Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin believed the fierce competitor in Ashwin would have overcome any doubts.
“It (Ashwin) would’ve been the first name I would’ve looked at (on the team sheet) if I was one of the (opposition’s) left-handers,” Haddin told espncricinfo website. “You want a player, especially in a big event like this, who walks towards the fire. And Ashwin’s definitely one of those guys against Australia.”