Ravichandran Ashwin proudly says he answered his calling from cricket after closing the curtain on his former career with India.
The 38-year-old off-spinner announced his retirement from international cricket after an illustrious 14-year career in which he took 765 international wickets across all formats and became the seventh-highest Test wicket-taker of all time.
Speaking specifically to sky sports cricket podcastAshwin revealed how his deep passion for cricket not only made him better as a player but also gave meaning to his life.
He said, “Despite knowing it was not the popular or accepted way, I put everything I had into it.” “My journey is completely mine.
“I have seen a lot of cricketers over the years with extraordinary skills and talent, but the ability to convey or teach it to another person is something that is very unique and comes to people only when they have themselves Have it figured out.
“The amount of exploration I’ve had to do to be very successful has given me the wide variety of knowledge to be able to say with confidence, that this is a game I love and I can explore it And I can talk brutally about it. My life.
“I have no regrets because I had to do it the hard way, but it has given me the idea that sports is my choice. People find their passion at different stages of their lives but I am so happy that this game helped me.” Found and it has given me meaning to life.
“I have played Test cricket for so long, it has also taught me how to create and live my life. It is the most beautiful thing for me.”
After this Ashwin announced his retirement India’s match with Australia was a draw in Brisbane TestA sport for which he was not selected.
He revealed that he had previously thought about retirement but when his creativity could no longer be fulfilled he finally took the decision.
“I’ve never been one to hold things back, I’ve never felt insecure in life,” he said. “I don’t believe that what is mine today will be mine tomorrow. This has probably been one of the factors in my rise all these years.
“I always wanted to leave things behind as casually as possible because I don’t believe in people celebrating me, I don’t believe in the attention that we get sometimes in India. It’s the game that always Has been ahead of me, all the time.
“I contemplated [retirement] a few times. For me, the day I wake up and realize that my creative side has no future or direction will be the day I give up. I suddenly realized there wasn’t much to explore on the creative side.”
After finishing his career as India’s second-highest Test wicket-taker (537) and scoring six centuries and 14 half-centuries, Ashwin reflected on a key moment during England’s 2012 tour of India that made him one of the Helped mold him into the player he became.
In the second Test in Mumbai, Ashwin recorded figures of 2-145 and was knocked around the Wankhede Stadium by Kevin Pietersen, who scored 186, helping England level the series with a 10-wicket win.
It left a lasting impression on Ashwin, who further said: “I regret one thing in life. I know KP is a very proud person, I have seen him talk a lot about how he made us dropped down.
“In the early years of my career, the things that went wrong on the technical side set me on the path to excellence.
“I wanted to face KP every time after that. He’s an amazing batsman but someone who didn’t have a really strong defence, I was a fan of him because I’m very good at picking out players who come out, like that. Players who sweep.
“In that particular series against KP and Alastair Cook, who was one of the best batsmen I bowled with, my alignment was so bad. My left foot was going so far out that I couldn’t get my length right at all Had been.
“For the rest of my career, since 2012, it was all about finding different solutions. I’m very grateful for the series going on like this, because if it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have found myself on this path. Can’t stand it. Achieve excellence as a bowler because to excel as a bowler it is important to be internal rather than external.”
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