Former cricketer and one of the greatest minds in the sport, R Ashwin held a gathering of some of the most influential voices and technical minds in Cricket to execute the ‘Winning Bid’ mock auction where he aims to bring fans, creators and analysts together. In an exclusive conversation, R Ashwin sits down with RevSportz to unpack cricket fandom, fearless opinions, and the shifting landscape of the modern game.
Gargi: Ashwin, where did this idea stem from? What’s the motivation behind hosting an auction like this? Because in the age of social media, you rarely see real integration between fans and the media.
Ashwin: Look, we’re in a changing landscape. The domain has definitely shifted. Once upon a time, Boria belonged to a generation and lineage of journalists who reported what players were doing or what was happening inside the cricketing world. Now, there’s a lot of speculation on one side and at the same time, a lot of information available to fans.
Social media, whether we like it or not, is inside our homes today. People have a lot of opinions. Some are debatable, some are amazing, and some you don’t necessarily need to agree with. But I see a massive influx of intellectual capacity coming into the sport. The question is, are we open enough to listen?
Last year, we did a similar mock auction with a group of owners and it was a lot of fun. This year, I wanted some of the best minds around the country who give opinions. Getting all of them under one roof for a mock auction is meaningful. Anyone can turn up irresponsibly and bid in a mock setup, but this can be a genuine medium where fans can associate. And if a franchise is watching, it can even act as a pilot.
Gargi: You’re Ashwin, you could’ve brought in thousands of experts and big names. But you consciously chose fans, influencers and non-celeb voices. What drove that choice?
Ashwin: Honestly, I think they are celebrities. It depends on what you call a celebrity. I believe how you rate yourself is how the world perceives you, and if the world doesn’t agree, that’s fine.
Bringing big names was possible, but I wanted freshness. Through my channel over the last five years, I’ve always tried to bring fresh perspectives. Most importantly, it’s about enjoying myself. It gives my creative side a real license.
This is something I’ve always wanted to do. And I think there’s even scope for things like fan watch parties, community events where people come together. We’ll always agree to disagree, and that’s the beauty. Someone watching and saying that I’m wrong, it’s absolutely okay. Being vulnerable is enjoyable.
Gargi: Boria, in the age of social media, media has become disconnected. How important are gatherings like this where there’s real integration?
Boria: Most of the people here I’ve actually engaged with them on social media but we never meet. But that’s how our lives have become. We don’t actually meet. Ashwin deserves credit, not just him, but his entire team. Preeti, Sudarshan, Karthik, people who put this together despite flight disruptions everywhere. They ensured people could come here.
This is fresh, and it’s great. I was delighted to meet so many people from the community. Ashwin is breaking new ground. I’ve even written this, he could’ve easily got a commentary contract and earned more money. Sky, ABC, anyone would’ve taken him. He has the nose, the cricket brain, the pedigree.
But he’s trying something new. And anyone who tries something new will face obstacles. The easier thing would’ve been the other route. So congratulations to him and his team. And the best part? He doesn’t want to restrict himself to cricket. If he comes into Olympic sport, Indian Olympic sport will benefit. The quicker he travels with us to an Asian Games or Olympics, the better.
Gargi: We have to talk cricket. Looking back at the India vs South Africa ODI series: India won 2–1, but there were criticisms of bowlers and fielding. A major factor was dew. Should ODI games go back to day matches?
Ashwin: It’s not just BCCI, ICC has a role too. The coloured clothing and white-ball-under-lights format began for marketability. But today, marketability depends heavily on T20 cricket. ODIs are losing ground.
Two good sides, India and South Africa, competed well, but the series petered out after India won the toss in the last game. The fluctuation between skill and power has been a debate for long. India’s skill is exceptional. But can India get beaten on skill vs power? Yes.
Cricket is a game of skill. The more it becomes about power, the less balanced it becomes. Whether skill returns through a 9 a.m. start or an 11:30 a.m. start is for administrators to decide, but I definitely think something needs to change.
Boria: In today’s auction and the review show, we spoke about bowlers. When we see 360 chased easily, bowlers are reduced to caricatures. Kuldeep Yadav was brilliant without dew, yet people judge him by one six in Raipur. Are we losing the level playing field?
Ashwin: Most certainly. You saw Dewald Brevis hit Kuldeep for a six in Raipur, and that ball travelled miles. Pure power. The same shot in Vizag with a bit of hold and an older ball went straight to short mid-wicket. That difference, from short mid-wicket to out of the ground, is massive.
As a bowler, you want to beat batters with skill, your revs, your flight. But with dew, moisture, the quality of bats, sometimes you bowl a brilliant ball and it still goes for six.
Even edges fly because the bats are massive. Grounds are smaller. With LED boards, you lose 10 metres of space around the perimeter. People quote straight boundaries of 63 metres, but the corners are sometimes only 48–50. These small factors break careers.
Gargi: Since we’re talking about headlines, you’re someone who’s known to be outspoken, and now you’ve stepped into the media space as well. We’ve seen Gautam Gambhir be very blunt and straightforward with his views. If you were in a similar position, would you hold back or speak your mind? How would you approach that role?
Ashwin: It’s a tough question for me. Yes, I give my opinions, but I’m very sensitive to the empathy players deserve.
People say I “bat for” players. I don’t. I bat for what’s right. And what’s right or wrong is debatable. Being on the other side, I’ve seen how decisions pan out. Sometimes a coach hasn’t even made the decision people blame him for, it’s about continuity, team balance, communication.
Cricket is a captain-driven sport. Coaches facilitate culture, processes, environments. There are no heroes or villains in sport. Sport is life, there are no retakes. Some days you try hard and it still doesn’t work.
It’s unfair to make one person accountable for a win or a loss. It’s a team sport. I always look at why something happened, not who caused it.
Boria: You’ve brought the cricket community together. But online, there’s impatience, restlessness, even abuse. Jaiswal fails twice, “drop him.” Gambhir loses, “worst coach ever.” Kohli gets two ducks, “retire.” Then after three hundreds, “GOAT.” The impatience worries me. So, when you bring people together, do you hope the community unites?
Ashwin: It’s tough. I won’t call this a cricket community, it’s a gathering of cricket-interested geeks and nerds. And many of them make opinions responsibly, compared to others.
Criticism is fine. The aim should be to reason out criticism. For example, the debate on Riyan Parag in ODIs, it’s not about whether he’s “good” or “bad.” It’s about what merits his selection.
What concerns me is character assassination. Sport should never get there.
A fan of one player doesn’t need to hate another. Being a fan doesn’t mean you’re part of a movie plot with heroes and villains. And if we turn fans into haters, we’re doing something wrong.
A fan is also a responsible viewer. Tomorrow if Harshit Rana bowls badly, I may analyse why. Not who. If he does well the next day, it’s not about me being right or wrong, it’s about why he did well.
Predictions go wrong. I’m human, not an astrologer.
There’s also a flex of European football culture creeping in, fan wars, noise, toxic rivalries. It adds to brand value but also brings responsibility. Narrators of the game need to be responsible because people are impacted. If 5 out of 10 are behaving badly, maybe good conversations can turn that into 6 or 7.
Responsibility matters.
