In addition to India’s impressive 4-1 victory over England, the five-match Test series will be remembered for the exceptional performances of spin maestro Ravichandran Ashwin.
During the Test series against the England team, Ashwin marked his 100th Test appearance and reached the remarkable milestone of 500 wickets in this format. However, amidst these achievements, Ashwin faced a personal crisis when he had to abruptly leave the squad during the Rajkot Test due to a family emergency. His mother was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a Chennai hospital, requiring his immediate attention.
In this challenging time, Ravichandran Ashwin opened up about the support he received from Indian captain Rohit Sharma. He shared how Rohit not only empathized with his situation but also took practical steps to assist him. Rohit was quick to prioritize Ashwin’s family over the game, urging him to return home to be by his mother’s side.
With Rohit’s encouragement, arrangements were swiftly made to facilitate Ashwin’s departure. Rohit, along with Cheteshwar Pujara, organized a charter plane from Rajkot to Chennai, ensuring Ashwin could reach his family without delay. Additionally, Rohit ensured that the team physio, Kamlesh, accompanied Ashwin to provide support and assistance during this challenging period.
This gesture from Rohit Sharma exemplifies not only his leadership on the field but also his compassion and empathy towards his teammates during personal hardships.
Ravichandran Ashwin recently shared the story of how he found out the news through his wife and how captain Rohit Sharma stood by him.
Ashwin said: “I called my wife around 7 PM, my wife’s voice didn’t sound too good, and she asked me to come separately to speak. She told me my mother had collapsed after a splitting headache.
“I went blank. I didn’t know how to react. I went to my room and cried along for some time. I didn’t pick up the phone and I suppose she called my team physio to check on me. Rohit and Rahul Dravid were probably informed and both of them came to the room. I didn’t know what to do. ‘I’m part of the eleven and the game is in balance. The team will become 10 if I leave, they (England) had a slight upper hand, they had given a good fight,’ I had thousands of thoughts running through my mind. At the same time I was thinking of when I last spoke to my mother. I had almost made up my mind to leave.
“After all that, I started searching for flights but I couldn’t find one. Rohit told me ‘Don’t think about anything, leave immediately, I’ll try to arrange a charter flight for you’. A big thank you to Cheteshwar Pujara. He somehow got a flight from Ahmedabad and got it chartered, I don’t know how those two hours went on the flight. And then what Rohit did…he asked Kamlesh (physio) to leave with me. With the team having only two physios, I asked Kamlesh to stay back. When I went down, the security and Kamlesh were waiting to take me. Rohit calls Kamlesh and tells him ‘Stay with Ashwin, comfort him, take care of him’.
“It was 9:30 PM. I was gobsmacked. Even if I was the captain and if something like this happened to the player, I would have definitely asked the player to go. But enquiring about him, asking someone to go with him…unbelievable. I’m seeing an outstanding leader in Rohit. I can’t express this, I’ve played with a lot of captains over the years, but there is something about Rohit. His good heart is the reason he has been able to win five IPL titles, equal to Dhoni. God won’t give things like these easily, I just hope god gives him something big. Thinking about another person, understanding the troubles and taking care of that…it’s a rarity to find a person like this in a selfish world.
“My respect for him (grew more)…I already have a lot of respect for him. If he believes in a player then he backs that player. It’s not an easy thing. Even Dhoni does that. But he (Rohit) has taken 10 steps more. When it gets so personal like this, a player can even give his life on the field.”
After dealing with a family emergency, Ashwin made an impressive comeback and ended the Test series on a high note. He accomplished a remarkable feat by securing the record for the most five-wicket hauls by an Indian in Test cricket history. At 37 years old, Ashwin clinched his 36th five-wicket haul during the third day of the fifth Test match in Dharamsala.
In surpassing the tally set by Indian cricket legend and former captain Anil Kumble (35), Ashwin joined the ranks of renowned New Zealand cricketer Richard Hadlee. He now sits just behind two of the greatest bowlers in the game’s history, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne, in this prestigious list of elite bowlers.
