R Ashwin recalls Dhoni's golden words as he reacts to Hardik's 'losing is good' remark

India and West Indies recently locked horns against each other in a five-match T20I series that the Men in Blue lost. India suffered a humiliating defeat in the 5th match to concede the series 3-2. The last time India lost a bilateral T20I series to West Indies was back in 2016. After the loss, Indian captain Hardik Pandya received a lot of criticism for the way he led the team. 

3 things you need to know

• Hardik Pandya was criticized for his comments after India's loss to West Indies
• R Ashwin defended Pandya, saying that it is important to learn from losses
• Ashwin also recalled MS Dhoni's golden words as he spoke about the loss

Also Read: 'It Is Easy To Criticise...': Ashwin Fires Off On Online Backlash After IND's Series Loss

Ashwin defends Hardik after series loss

India's T20I captain Hardik Pandya's comments after the series loss to West Indies have been met with criticism, but teammate Ravichandran Ashwin has defended him. Pandya said that the loss was "not a big deal" and that the team should not read too much into it. Ashwin disagreed, saying that it is important to learn from losses, even if they are against teams that are not considered to be as strong as India.

Ashwin also pointed out that touring the Caribbean islands can be difficult for youngsters, and that the West Indies team played with a lot of passion. He said that India should be proud of their performance, but that they need to work on their batting depth if they want to be successful in the upcoming T20 World Cup.

"There are plenty of positives from this T20I series. It is very easy to criticise the team on social media since they lost to a team that didn't qualify for the last T20 World Cup. They haven't qualified for the upcoming 50-over World Cup as well. I want to give a piece of information to you guys," he said on his YouTube channel. 

"I am not talking, backing, or supporting anybody. All of these are secondary. As a youngster, if you are going to the West Indies, there will be some challenges. In all countries, there will be some innate secrets. The local players know these things more than visiting players. Especially if the players are young," Ashwin added.

"(WI fans) Credit to West Indies. They didn’t qualify for both the T20I and ODI World Cups. Their entire island looked disappointed because of this. They spoke about the rich legacy they once had. In fact, a taxi driver told me how intensely they follow the game. They follow the game with insane passion even today,” he said. 

Also Read: 'They Will Try Their Best': R. Ashwin Takes A Friendly Jibe On Ben Stokes' Retirement Saga

Ashwin recalls Dhoni's words of wisdom

Ashwin also referred to the wisdom of former India captain MS Dhoni to convey a valuable lesson: that learning from victories is the hallmark of champions.

"MS Dhoni and a few coaches of mine have said this: 'When you lose you learn so many things. But people who learn even when they win, will become champions," he added.

Image: BCCI/IPL