During the third Test match against England on Friday, Ravichandran Ashwin became the second bowler from India, after Anil Kumble, to reach 500 Test wickets. This achievement holds great significance for the veteran off-spinner, who went through a period where he was unsure of how to escape the “dark tunnel” he had fallen into. In addition, Ashwin is currently the second-highest wicket-taker for India behind Kumble, who finished his career with 619 scalps. Kumble is the only other off-spinner to have accomplished the feat. On the second day of the current test, the 37-year-old achieved the milestone. Scroll down to read, R Ashwin Opens Up On The Dark Times Of His Life In 2018.
R Ashwin Opens Up On The Dark Times Of His Life In 2018
Zak Crawley, the opener, misplayed a sweep, and Rajat Patidar was there to catch it at short fine, giving him the one wicket he needed to accomplish the feat.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s will to succeed and grow has always been fundamental to who he is, but from 2018 to 2019, the star spinner thought his career was gone, let alone considering attempting to take 500 Test wickets.
Speaking about the lowest point in his career—when he thought he was hitting a “bottomless pit”—Ashwin was playing in his 98th Test. He said, “My life has been full of ups and downs, and the time between 2018 and 2019 was the lowest moment for me.”
After the conclusion of the second day’s play, Ashwin addressed Kumble, saying, “I was the ICC Cricketer of the Year, and I was on top of the world, and from there to go to a bottomless pit was a very dark time in my life.”
Ashwin, a fierce competitor, admitted that he wasn’t sure whether he would ever be able to enjoy playing cricket again during that period. He was unable to give his all against England on a rank-turner at Southampton in 2018 because of an abdominal injury, and India lost the Test.
R Ashwin Opens Up On The Dark Times Of His Life In 2018
After delivering 86 overs in the first Test in Adelaide, he was forced to make a “course correction” by then captain Virat Kohli, and the series against Australia at the end of the year was much worse because he didn’t play in the entire series.
Ashwin mentioned the same stage when he was unsure of how to make a comeback, even if he didn’t name any names.
“In general, I don’t let life’s setbacks get to me because, on my truly good days, I just spend time with my wife and parents, watch a wonderful movie, and go to bed. Even though I reflect and always come out on the other side, I am not truly defeated when I am down.
But because I had no idea what had hit me or how I had ended up there, it was a dark tunnel for me. And after that, I suffered from a few injuries, including an adductor strain. It was a very difficult time, and I realized that I was almost done at that point,” he disclosed.
But the COVID-19 pandemic changed his outlook, and he rediscovers his greatest passion, which is playing cricket.
“The pandemic that struck our country made me contemplate deeply on life and my goals for playing the game—finding new meanings. I guess I had lost my passion for this game and had to rediscover it because it is all I can play.”
Being a keen observer of the game, Ashwin is well aware of his stats and has not hesitated to acknowledge the significance of 500 wickets.
“Look, if I said that 500 has no meaning, I would be lying. It hasn’t hit home yet, but it does mean a lot. As I mentioned before, though, as of 2020, my perspective on the game and my life have drastically changed from what it was earlier,” he added.
Ashwin had large shoes to fill after the Kumble and Harbhajan Singh era, and he has done so admirably and consistently.
Ashwin amassed nine five-wicket hauls in his first 16 Test matches, making him the fastest player to reach the 300-wick club.
“When playing turns into a job and you view it as a profession, it may quickly become tedious and isolating. “The biggest unraveling of who I am is rediscovering the joy of playing the game,” he remarked.
Since making his Test debut in 2011, Ashwin has advanced significantly. The Chennai-born engineering graduate began his career as a top-order batsman and even attempted medium-pace bowling before deciding to become an off-spinner due to a back ailment he sustained as a teenager.
“The desire to excel hasn’t changed and evolving as a cricketer has remained very organic to me and the first question that hung in front of me was whether I was a good enough red ball bowler because I had come through IPL.”
Ashwin’s detractors have also contributed to his development. “More than people who teach you, I think the critics take you very high, if you want to take criticism in the right yards and make the right effort, I think excellence is the only way forward,” he said.
A lot of cricket players have been transparent about their mental health problems in recent years. Cricketer Ben Stokes of England, Virat Kohli, and numerous others talked openly about their gloomy period. They are currently moving on, though, having moved past that stage.
About R Ashwin
In terms of innings played, Ashwin is the fastest bowler to reach 300 wickets, having amassed 500 wickets in tests. He is the most and second-most-honored Indian cricketer with ten Man of the Series victories in test matches. He bats lower on the order, is an all-rounder in test cricket, and is one of just three players to have amassed 3000 runs and 450 wickets in the format. He has also hit five centuries in test cricket. Ashwin is currently the highest-rated Indian bowler in test history and the second-ranked bowler overall in the ICC men’s player rankings as of February 2024.
At the age of 20, Ashwin made his debut for Tamil Nadu in the first class, capturing six wickets in the Ranji Trophy match against Haryana in 2006. Against Andhra in 2007, he took two wickets in his List A debut. Next month, he will make his Twenty20 debut in an interstate T20 tournament victory over Andhra.
