I was told I couldn’t play spin, which is why I never had the chance to play in India: Usman Khawaja

Usman Khawaja, an opener for Australia, stated that he was not given a chance to play in India because he is ineffective at playing spin. Khawaja thrilled cricket fans during the fourth Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad by scoring his first Test century against India.

The veteran’s gutsy attitude to batting allowed him to overcome the Indian bowlers and amass 180 runs. With his superb batting approach, he also displayed confidence against the Indian spin assault. Against the combo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, the 36-year-old batsman had a good demeanor and executed a variety of excellent shots. Along with Cameron Green, he forged a 208-run partnership that put his team in a dominant position in the game.

According to NDTV, Usman Khawaja revealed that he did not have a chance to play for his side in India because he was deemed incapable of playing spin.

“In the middle of my career, I was told I could not play spin, which prevented me from playing in India. “It’s simply amazing to go out there and cross off a hundred in India, which if you had asked me five years ago, I would have thought you were insane “said the Australian starter.

The batter went on to say that he began to accept the truth that he is not a skilled spin player after being subjected to such criticism.

“Maybe to some extent. I believe it was, however, a self-fulfilling prophecy. When people begin to assert that, perception becomes reality. Every time I attempted to play spin, somebody told me, “You can’t play spin.” I likely began to believe it myself.”

The southpaw stated that he did not receive encouragement from selectors and coaches throughout the early stages of his career. Yet, he honed his batting skills to counter spin by depending on his strong resolve.

“At the time, I did not receive much support from the people around me. I did not feel that the team was truly behind me. Throughout that process, the coaching staff and selections did not make me feel supported. It made things so much more difficult.”

“Without a doubt, I am a better spin player now, regardless of whether I was previously or not, as I have more shots and better defense. Yet, I did not have the chance to learn at that early level. Fortunately, I am fairly obstinate, so I went out of my way to learn, and then we had a couple of excursions in India that were extremely helpful. Have to return and sort it out on my own “remarked Usman Khawaja.