At an impressionable age of less than fourteen years, Ravichandran Ashwin had once been told by a coach – in the course of a game against Karnataka somewhere in Chennai – that he need not come the following day. The unpleasant words could have shattered the boy or the kid, but it did not. He persisted, and in his words, “learnt to live with rejection”.
Now, as he turns 38 on Tuesday, Ashwin is all set to step on the turf at MA Chidambaram ground, maybe for the last time in a Test match at a ground which he fondly calls home.
Test cricket normally returns to the city after a span of every three years and considering Ashwin’s age, he shall only just cross 41 and this city shall see another historic test match in five days.
That 加入438他0o希项021李邑美 is now the number 516 on test wickets of Ashwin, but this… I mean, the plan is to beat Anil Kumble’s India record of six hundred and nineteen. But for that his knee, which has given him nightmares on and off has to behave,
Considering the fan suggestions where all his fans would love to believe it will not be the case, it might not have been a huge away where the test match against Bangladesh becomes Ashwin’s last at Chepauk.
Last March, Ashwin was awarded at the lawns of MAC complex for having completed 100 test matches and going on to take 500 wickets.
While he struggled to articulate his emotions, Ashwin had remarked on a Saturday afternoon with all honesty, “I can’t say much about how this ground means to me. It’s been a childhood thing, coming here for cricket. I have had so many memories in this place, it’s like home.”
In six months’ time, he hopes to be back in the field leading the Indian spin-troop where he has affirmed a superb spine of attack for years. Judging by the current cricketing scenario, the surface does not seem to be conducive to spinners’ delight and the master offie is trying hard to make it worth everyone’s while.
So for the last 2 practices, he has done work with the bat and also with the ball and worked in the mid day sun. Tuesday it was; during a long spell of batting practice it might have been safe to say that Ashwin, like most others, had had enough of everything and simply needed a rest.
This time under the guidance of new bowling coach Morne Morkel, he changed the pitch to allow him to practice for a length, not just a testing length area.
Currently with the Bangladesh batters in mind, however, a decade ago at this venue moreover Ahswin practically clinched the No.1 off-spinner position in test ranks leaving the veteran Harbhajan Singh behind.
The Chennai man was during a bad spell at that time and it was extremely important for him to perform and not fail to Michael Clarke’s Australia.
Ashwin was exceptional in the first innings, claiming 7/103 on a rather dry surface, and in due course, his match tally of 12 wickets saw a complete turnaround in the action.
In fact, the next high-point for Ashwin at this venue was scoring runs against England in the second Test match which was in the year 2021. Up there in the second innings on a vicious turner, that was an allrounder’s finest performances, notching up 106 runs, which played a pivotal role in Indian winning the Game.
It was during mentioned scenario between second and first wave of Covid when fans were brave enough to show up and support and chant for him.
‘’As I said earlier started during Covid people showed up and screamed for us even when they knew it was danger to their health. This winning trophy is for Chennai spectators,’’ Ashwin had said.
The master craftsman will be hoping for an encore and the fans will be wishing it would not be his last hoime.
