What makes Ravichandran Ashwin so special?
Ask Rohit Sharma and he can list out quite a few points. Having known each other since their junior cricket days, Rohit values the acumen and dedication of the spin ace and appreciates what he brings to the table.
The Indian captain remembers how Ashwin overcame a personal crisis a fortnight ago and rejoined the squad in Rajkot just to be around with the team during its ongoing Test series against England.
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“The biggest thing is that he is a big team player and we saw that in the Rajkot Test when it was a difficult situation for him, but he called and said ‘I want to come back and do something for the team.’ You see this rarely and when you have players like this then your head is held high,” Rohit says.
This has been Ashwin’s biggest trait. More than personal milestones, he has been a thorough team-man, and as he looks set for his 100th Test appearance on Thursday, Rohit doesn’t hesitate in referring to him as a ‘big match-winner’.
“It’s a big achievement for any player to play 100 Tests. It’s a big milestone. Ashwin is a big match-winner for us. Whatever he has done for the team in all these years, any praise is less because if you look at his performances in the last 5-7 years, in every series he has contributed big,” Rohit says, adding, “Players like these are rare…”
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Back in their junior cricket days, Ashwin batted in the middle-order, whereas Rohit was a bowler. But over the years, there has been a role reversal for the two - Ashwin becoming one of the most successful spinners and Rohit a star batter.
“It came up and down for us, but it has been good for Indian cricket,” Rohit says with a smile.
“As a cricketer, he (Ashwin) has evolved in his game and he has a lot of intelligence and if you get a player like this in the team then you don’t have to think too much. If you give the ball to him then he drives the game. You don’t need to tell him how to bowl, what field to set and what to do…
“Apart from that, what you see on the field is a result of a lot of off field stuff and the work done on one’s bowling. I have often seen him bowling with just one stump before a match - one hour 45 minutes before a game. Bowling at one stump a day before a Test. This is cricket’s basics, like we bat in the nets for an hour or two, similarly bowlers also prepare bowling on one stump. I have seen him regularly bowl at one stump and this has been a process for him…” Rohit says.
Back in November 2011, when Ashwin donned the whites for India for the first time, little did he imagine that 13 years later he would go on to feature in his 100th Test - becoming the 14th cricketer from the country to enter the ‘Hundred Club’.
But then, dreams do come true.
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