New Delhi: India’s premier off-spinner R. Ashwin has revealed that after a comment by former head coach Ravi Shastri, he felt like he was left in the middle of a whirlwind and at a tough time in his career. He thought several times to say goodbye to the game.
In an interview to ESPNcricinfo, Ashwin was asked how he felt when then coach Shastri named Kuldeep Yadav as India’s top spinner overseas after taking a five-wicket haul in the 2019 Sydney Test against Australia. Ashwin said he was really happy for Kuldeep as he knew how difficult it was to take five wickets as a spinner in Australia but Shastri’s remarks left him “completely disheartened”.
Ashwin said, “I have a lot of respect for Ravi bhai. We all do and I understand that we can take our words back even after saying everything. At that time, however, I was feeling very depressed. Totally broken.” The veteran spinner said, “We all talk about how important it is to enjoy the success of our teammates. I was happy for Kuldeep. I couldn’t get five wickets in Australia but I did. I know what a great achievement this is. Even when I have bowled well, I could not achieve this feat, so I am really happy for him. And to win in Australia is a very happy occasion.”
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“If I want to be a part of his happiness and team’s success, I should feel like I am a part of it,” Ashwin said. If I feel that I am being scorned, how can I lift myself up to enjoy the success of a team or a teammate?” Ashwin, however, attended the party organized after the Indian team’s historic series win. “After the match, I went back to my room and then talked to my wife. I was able to leave personal disappointment behind. I became a part of that party because we won the big series.”
Referring to the first Test match of that series, the 35-year-old said that repeated injuries meant he was playing “with a lot of pain” and he took three wickets each in both innings to win the team. Played an important role in Even after this performance, Shastri’s comment was disappointing for Ashwin. He said, “The first Test is still in my memory. We were all out in the first innings on a low score. After that I took three out of the first four wickets. And then in the fourth innings when the pitch was completely flat, I bowled more than 50 overs and took three wickets even after a serious injury.
“I believed I had done something good for the team in unbearable pain, but I heard ‘Nathan Lyon took six wickets and Ashwin three’,” he said. The Indian bowler said, “I was already disappointed because of my injury because I was in good rhythm with the bowling. During this time I didn’t want any comparisons with anyone but after that reaction (compare Lyon) and then Sydney it felt like I didn’t play any role for the team.” Ashwin has been India’s best bowler at home and abroad in the longer format of the game. The spinner has so far taken 427 Test wickets. He is the third highest wicket-taker from the country in the red ball format after Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev.
Ashwin said that there was a phase between 2018 and 2020 when he had made up his mind to say goodbye to the game. “Between 2018 and 2020, I have contemplated quitting the game several times. I have tried a lot, but things were not going well. The more I tried after the injury, the worse the result was.”
Ashwin said, “Especially after getting injured, I used to gasp after bowling six balls and have pain all over the body. So I used to adjust after every ball during the over. Sometimes I would bowl with a short jump and sometimes from the corner of the crease but when it didn’t work out, I thought I should take a break. He also expressed disappointment that the cricket community does not show sympathy after getting injured on foreign tours. (agency)