On Day 1 of the first Test against the West Indies at Windsor Park in Dominica on Wednesday, July 12, veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin made a triumphant comeback to the playing XI.
He took 5/60 in 24.3 overs as the Windies were dismissed for 150. After the day’s play, Ashwin reflected on his career’s many ups and downs, claiming that he is someone who has continuously learned from his lows.
The seasoned cricketer recently suffered a major setback when he was withdrawn from India’s playing XI for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against Australia at The Oval. To put things in context, Ashwin is the No. 1 ranked bowler in Test cricket, according to the official ICC rankings.
On the first day of the Dominica Test, Ashwin took his 33rd five-wicket haul in Test matches, passing James Anderson (32) on the list. He also finished with 700 international wickets.
There is not a cricketer and not a person in this world who has experienced ups without downs. When you’re depressed you have two choices: pout or talk about it, then complain, agree, and put yourself down. Or you will learn. That’s why I’m someone who never stops learning from my mistakes.
While admitting that the road to success has been extremely difficult, the 36-year-old stated that his pursuit of perfection has kept him motivated.
“It just happened that way,” Ravichandran Ashwin says of his cricket career
While Ashwin’s career has had its share of setbacks, the senior cricketer is content with how things have turned out. He talked about how COVID transformed his perspective on life and how he determined to appreciate whatever came his way.
“When I look back on my career, I wonder how it went by so quickly.” It’s been 14 years in the making, and if you count IPL, it’s been a 15-16 year trip. “It just happened like that,” he explained.
When I first met Rahul Dravid as a manager, he said, “It’s not the number of goals you score, it’s the number of runs you score. You will forget them all. Only the great memories you create as a band will stay with you.” » he concluded.
Ashwin also recalled a bit of advice from Rahul Dravid that he still remembers. Ashwin, who is in his 93rd Test, has 479 wickets at an average of 23.80. He also has over 3000 runs scored and five tonnes to his name.
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