Ravichandran Ashwin reached his 100th Test, making him the 14th Indian cricketer to do so, during the Dharamsala Test against England in the recently concluded series.
Ashwin recently discussed how skipper Rohit Sharma and the team honored him with a guard of honor at the match’s outset. He shared insights from his conversation with Sharma before this significant moment in his latest YouTube video.
“Rohit’s guard of honour. He came to me and said, ‘Don’t get excited and go off in the first. We have planned something for you.’. Then he told me to take a walk around the dressing room and come, like surprising a small child.”
“They had arranged a guard of honour, and I walked through that. It was a very interesting moment. All the boys standing there recognized and valued the moment.”
Ashwin acknowledged feeling deeply touched by the overwhelming support he received from both his teammates and fans during his 100th Test. Reflecting on his emotions during the match, he expressed:
“I had requested a little backing up if I had a shortfall in terms of emotional balance or game intensity. But the affection and love like this, I’m not able to put into words.”
“Starting 2-3 days before the match itself, whatever happened on the morning of match day, everything was overwhelming. I wasn’t able to gauge my mental space. Even though I didn’t have much emotional attachment to the 100th Test concept.”
Ravichandran Ashwin excelled with the ball in his historic Test, claiming nine wickets, which included an impressive five-wicket haul in the second innings. India sealed victory by an innings and 64 runs, sealing a comprehensive 4-1 series win over England.
“I had a small disappointment when he couldn’t come” -Ashwin expressed disappointment for not receiving an award from his father during his 100th Test
Ravichandran Ashwin experienced a turbulent emotional journey during the England Test series. He missed Day 3 of the Rajkot Test to rush to Chennai where his mother had collapsed due to a headache.
Expressing his desire for his father to witness his 100th Test, Ashwin revealed that his father had to remain with his mother due to her health and couldn’t join him in Dharamsala.
He added:
“I told my uncle to travel with him (father). I actually hadn’t told him that I wanted to get the award from him. I know it would be a big moment in his life. Even he had spoken, as part of the tribute video the team made, about how this was a big moment in his life.”
“I had a small disappointment when he couldn’t come in at the last minute. But I understood his perspective. If he came and fell sick or if my mom had some issues back home, then that would have disturbed me, and he didn’t want that. Even now, he asks me to bring every award or ball to him.”
Ashwin emerged as the top wicket-taker in the Test series between India and England, claiming a total of 26 wickets in 10 innings.
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