“If I was better, I will participate in the Olympics,” Ashwin replied to Cook's claim

Ashwin has now become the second Indian bowler after Anil Kumble to take 500 Test wickets.

New Delhi: Ravichandran Ashwin was all over the news during Day 2 of the third Test between India and England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on February 16. Whether it was taking 500 wickets or withdrawing from the third Test due to a family emergency. However, he also found himself at the center of a controversy for walking on the protected part of the field, which even cost Team India five penalty runs.

During the 16th over of Day 2, Ashwin was cautioned by umpires for walking into the protected area and as it was a second offense by the Indian team, the visitors were awarded 5 free runs. Earlier, Jadeja received a warning from the referees for this and that was the first violation. However, former England skipper Alastair Cook believes that Ashwin did this on purpose to gain an advantage during his opportunity to bowl.

“Is it intentional? Yes that is true. It's a tactical trick that can disrupt mid-wicket because Ashwin wants help in equal measure [as possible] when he can bowl. Normally this happens in the third innings. You're 150-200 runs ahead and you think, 'Just make sure you get up and down the wicket'… that was gamesmanship, wasn't it?' Cook said as he shared his insights with TNT Sports.

However, Ashwin completely denied Cook's allegations and blamed his poor motor skills. “They clearly warned some of our batters (on Thursday) about running on the field. I was aware of it, but due to my poor motor skills I could not get off the field in time. If the English media and players think it was on purpose, it wasn't. If that's how they want to treat it, then so be it. I went to Joel (Wilson) and Kumar (Dharmasena) (on-field referees) and said, 'that's pure bad motor skills. If I had been better, I would have competed in the Olympics. Why play cricket,” Ashwin was quoted by Dailymail.