Indian veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin wants to contribute to the team’s success rather than focusing on individual record stating that making great memories as a team is more important than scoring runs or picking up wickets in International Cricket.
The 36-year-old completed 700 wickets in international cricket on Wednesday during day one of the first Test match against West Indies. Ashwin made a comeback into the team after being dropped for the World Test Championship (WTC) final and recorded his 33rd five-wicket haul in Test matches.
Speaking to the media after the game, Ravichandran Ashwin hailed Rahul Dravid for bringing his changes to the Indian team setup, as he wants the players to make memories being with the team rather than picking up wickets or scoring runs in cricket and added that he totally behind the idea of the Indian head coach and expressed his gratitude to him for giving him this journey in International Cricket.
“Rahul bhai (India coach Rahul Dravid) always says it’s not the wickets or the runs that you remember, The first time I met him as a coach he made a statement and he said ‘It’s not about how many runs you make, and how many wickets you take, as you will forget about all of them and it is the great memories that you create as a team that will stick with you”.
“And I am totally behind that. I don’t know if he has brainwashed me to do that, but from my point of view I definitely think I have got a lot of gratitude and am very grateful for the journey and what the game has given me,” Ravichandran Ashwin said.
Ashwin has been the standout performer at home and he has improved his record in foreign conditions over the last few years to provide some crucial breakthroughs for his team. The veteran was brought back into the team in place of the extra seamer in the team.
There Is No Cricketer Or Human Being In This World – Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin feels that every individual in the world has gone through the highs and lows in their life and said that lows in life allow learning something new and added that he is someone, who has constantly evolved during a tough phase in cricket.
“There is no cricketer or human being in this world that has gone through the highs without the lows,” he added.
“When you have lows it gives you opportunity. You can either sulk, talk about it or complain about it and go along with it and go down, or you learn from it and I am someone who has constantly learned from my lows,” Ravichandran Ashwin added.
The Indian spinner will be crucial for the team in the 2nd innings, as he can run through the West Indies batter in the 2nd innings. Meanwhile, the Indian team is well on top at the end of the Day 1 play, as the team is comfortably placed 80-0 in the 1st innings and they will look to continue their form going into the 2nd day.