Ashwin stunned by India's whitewash in New Zealand: 'I am to blame. I let it slip away...'

Ashwin's performance in the contest was disappointing, as he only managed to pick up nine wickets in three matches. This is his lowest wicket tally in a home series where he has bowled at least 90 overs. Throughout his career, Ashwin has averaged over 30 in a home Test series on only three occasions. Unfortunately, India lost two of these series - against England in 2012 (52.64) and New Zealand in 2024 (41.22).

Talking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin admitted that was at a loss of words following the loss, which he labelled as a “shattering experience.”

He said: “We have been hit by a 3-0 loss to New Zealand. I read that it has never happened in India in history. I don't know how to react or react to it. I know that in my career and in my experience in cricket, we don't have so many emotions when we play. But it's a very shattering experience. That's the right word for it. I didn't know how to react or respond to it for the last 2-3 days.”

Ashwin blamed himself for the loss as he admitted that he failed to meet his expectations, either as a batter or a bowler. He further said that although he began on a rather promising note on few occasions, he threw it away, resulting in an underwhelming show.

"I expect a lot from myself. I am a guy who says I am the reason for everything that went wrong. I am also a big reason and a big part of it (series loss). I couldn't contribute to the lower-order runs. As a bowler, I know that runs are a vital currency for a bowler. I started well in many places, then I threw it away on a couple of occasions. I put my best but it wasn't enough," Ashwin added.

The embarrassing loss for India also dented their chances of making the World Test Championship final for the third straight time. Having begun the New Zealand series as the WTC table leader, India dropped to the second spot and now need to avoid a defeat and more than a single draw in the Australia series to make the summit clash.