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‘Respect comes only from cultured people’ – Laxman Sivaramakrishnan launches another tirade after R Ashwin ignores congratulatory call

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan vs R Ashwin
by Wisden Staff 2 minute read

Former India leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has launched another scathing attack on R Ashwin on the eve of the latter’s 100th Test match.

R Ashwin is all set to appear in his 100th Test when he takes the field in Dharamshala on March 7 against England. However, among all the congratulatory messages and tributes that have poured over for him from all corners, there was one not-so-sweet bit of conversation where his name has been dragged into.

Sivaramakrishnan, who had previously launched a public tirade on Ashwin on X (Twitter) during the 2023 World Cup, was it again today (March 6). Commenting under a tweet paying tribute to Ashwin’s career, the former leg spinner said that Ashwin hadn’t picked up his calls.

“Tried calling him a few times to wish him for his 100th Test. Just cut off my call. Sent him a message, no reply. Thats the respect we former cricketers get,” he wrote.

When he had targeted Ashwin the last time, Sivaramakrishnan had said that his success has come from bowling on “tampered pitches” in India and that his record in ‘SENA’ countries was poor. He had also pointed out a flaw in his bowling action, which he referenced again today.

“Respect comes only from cultured people. Btw, I was earlier tweeting about a minor correction in his action and not criticizing him. If only people understood,” he wrote.

When being picked apart by almost everyone in response to his attacks, Sivaramakrishnan started questioning people if they had played more international than him (nine Tests and 16 ODIs).

Sivaramakrishnan hails from the same state as Ashwin – Tamil Nadu. If Ashwin goes on to play the Dharamshala Test, he will become the very first Tamil Nadu-born player to do so.

So far in the ongoing series against England, Ashwin has 17 wickets from four games at an average of 30.4. The fifth Test starts tomorrow (March 8).

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