Team India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shared an emotional incident of his mother falling ill, and how Rohit Sharma helped the veteran cricketer. He expressed that he went blank after hearing that his mother was ill, and was not able to control his tears.
The incident occurred shortly after Ravichandran Ashwin completed the milestone of 500 wickets in the game’s longest format during the third Test against England. The spinner was in two minds whether to return home to be with his ailing mother or continue playing the match. Recalling the incident in a video on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin said,
“I just wanted to leave and go see her (mom). I asked if she was conscious, the doctor apparently told me that she was not in a position to be seen and started tearing up.”
Ashwin added, “I was searching for a flight but I couldn’t get one. The Rajkot airport closes down at 6 as there are no flights from there after 6pm. I didn’t know what to do. Rohit (Sharma) & Rahul bhai (Dravid) came to my room. Rohit literally asked me to stop thinking and leave to be there with my family. He was trying to arrange a charter flight for me. Kamlesh got a call from Rohit checking up on me and literally asking him to be with me during this tough time.”
Rohit Sharma has something in him – Ravichandran Ashwin
India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin further revealed that Rohit Sharma asked one of the team physios to accompany him on his trip back home. He expressed that he saw an outstanding leader in Rohit that day helping his teams mates by going out of his way. Ravichandran Ashwin said,
“It was 9.30 pm that night. I was just gobsmacked, I cannot even think about it. Because the two people there are the only ones that I could talk to here. I just thought, even if I were the captain, I’d tell my players to go back home. No second thoughts about it. But will I be calling people to check up on him? I don’t know. Unbelievable.”
“I saw an outstanding leader in Rohit that day. I can’t quite put my finger on it, I have played under several captains and leaders. Rohit has something in him, for his good heart only he’s won 5 IPL titles,” he added.
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