Former Indian off-spinner and commentator Ravi Ashwin strolled down memory lane to recall a hilarious moment from his playing days with the former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri during an interaction on Star Sports.
During an episode of Star Sports’ #CheekySingles, the former Indian off-spinner revealed how Shastri had criticised him in a post-match interview when India were taking on England in a 2018 Test at Edgbaston.
For the unversed, the incident happened during the first Test between India and England in Birmingham in 2018. In that particular game, Ashwin had dismissed England opener Alastair Cook and was also interviewed at the end of the day’s play.
“I was playing a Test match in Birmingham and bowled Alastair Cook. After the match, I was giving an interview and explained how the ball comes out of my hand. When I returned, Ravi bhai was staring at me in the dressing room. I thought, ‘I bowled well, didn’t I?'” Ashwin recalled.
“Then he [Ravi Shastri] said, ‘Why are you sharing all the secrets?’ I got scared. [Laughs] Honestly, that’s when I realized I shouldn’t have shared those details. I had never felt that way before, but looking back, I understood that explaining what I had bowled and how I did it was a mistake,” he added.
Furthermore, Ashwin also recalled the start of his career, revealing that he came into the game of cricket as a medium pacer who could bat. Moreover, he disclosed that Piyush Chawla, another Indian spinner, was the one who inspired him to take up off-spin.
“I wasn’t even a spinner then. I was a medium-pacer who could bat a bit. We even played together for India Under-17, and at that time I was still a batter. Then, after watching Piyush bowl, I got motivated to take up spin bowling,” he revealed.
Ashwin concluded his Test career with 537 wickets in 106 matches. Overall, he has 765 wickets to his name in international cricket.
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