NEW DELHI: Australian spinner Nathan Lyon's no-holds-barred interview - in which he voiced his anger at being dropped for the second Ashes Test against England and described himself as "absolutely filthy" - has prompted former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to raise questions about the Indian cricket ecosystem.

Ashwin drew a parallel, saying Lyon was fortunate to be able to openly express his frustration, whereas he himself does not enjoy the same freedom to speak out when denied an opportunity to play for the senior national team.

"Nathan Lyon is lucky. If anyone is dropped from the team, the emotions would be similar to what Lyon expressed in front of the world. He got the platform to express his views, and he did just that. The Australian team wouldn't feel bad, and he would play the Adelaide Test. I am just happy for him," Ashwin said while speaking to sports journalist Vimal Kumar.

"People have emotions, and they will do just that. However, I cannot express my emotions, because if I do, I will lose out, and only my harm will be caused. So why will I do that? However, I really respect Nathan Lyon; he let his emotions out. Good on him," Ashwin said.

Ashwin highlighted a stark contrast between the cricketing cultures of India and Australia, noting that Australian players are encouraged to speak their minds without fear of consequences. He added that while Indian players technically have the same freedom, they must tread carefully due to the potential repercussions of expressing their opinions.

"We, as Indian cricketers, are allowed to express our opinion. No one is stopping us. But what is collateral damage? Your expression and emotion are not given as much respect because you will be stamped as a person of a certain character for doing that," Ashwin said.

Nothing against Lyon: Smith

Australia's stand-in skipper Steve Smith tried to douse the controversy over the exclusion of Nathan Lyon for the second Ashes Test in Brisbane, saying that the decision was taken to strengthen the pace-bowling department and there wasn't anything personal against the spin-bowling stalwart.

"It could have gone a few different ways, and it's certainly nothing against Nathan. He's a freak," Smith was quoted as saying post-match by Fox Sports.

"He's (Lyon) been our spinner for such a long time, but the extra batting and the way the tail hung in for 50 overs gave us the balance we were after," added Smith.