Veteran India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin recently related an amusing exchange he had with skipper Rohit Sharma during the Test match between Bangladesh and Chennai. Ashwin's ageless prowess was once again emphasized on September 22 by his all-around brilliance, which was crucial to India's convincing 280-run triumph. Even though the Indian cricket team is shifting to a younger core, the 38-year-old spinner has gained recognition for his reliability and game-winning performances.
In his most recent YouTube video, Ashwin revealed a humorous story about how, while watching the Duleep Trophy highlights, his wife Prithi Narayanan started a talk about ageing. As a result of Prithi's inquiry, Ashwin and Rohit had a lighthearted conversation regarding their ages. Despite age-related worries, older players of the Indian squad, Ashwin and Rohit, have always performed well for the team at critical times.
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"We were watching some highlights the day before yesterday. My wife told me something: 'These off-spinners, won't they be abusing you in their minds while bowling?' I wondered why and realised they must be thinking 'when will he leave for us to get a break?'. Suddently, I felt a little off. I realised, yes, I am in that phase now. Even when we were young, we used to wonder about our place in the side. Everbody does it. When I look at it now, it brings me to reality. I makes you realise you have played for a lot of years," Ashwin said.
"I saw a graphic on the official broadcasting channel. They had put year-wise break-up and it ended with number 38. I am alone in that club. Then suddenly I saw Rohit, he was passing by. I asked him 'when is your birthday?'. He said it was coming. I am waiting for his birthday. Then we will be of the same age for sometime," Ashwin added.
Ashwin won Player of the Match in the Chennai Test after taking six wickets and scoring his sixth century in the format. He had previously won Player of the Match in Chennai in 2021, therefore this was his second consecutive year receiving the honour. Remarkably, after accomplishing this four times, Ashwin is currently second only to Ian Botham in terms of getting five wickets in one Test match and making a century.
Furthermore, Ashwin's reputation as one of India's best bowlers has been solidified by his performance in the fourth innings of games. He broke Anil Kumble's previous record of 94 wickets in the fourth innings with 99 wickets, solidifying his position as an important member of India's bowling attack. India leads the two-match series against Bangladesh 1-0 thanks in large part to the contribution of Ashwin, and the team still relies heavily on him when playing red-ball cricket.
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