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The Indian all-rounder opens up about what happened during those 48 hours in which he had to leave the team during the test to visit his mother in the hospital.
ESPNcricinfo Staff
An emotional R Ashwin has expressed his immense gratitude towards “outstanding” India captain Rohit Sharma for his leadership and “heart of gold” during last month’s Rajkot Test against England.
Ashwin, who took his 500th wicket and played his 100th Test during the series against England, had to temporarily withdraw from the third Test in Rajkot due to a health emergency related to his mother. He dropped off his teammates after the second day’s game and joined them late on the fourth day.
“It all started on the second day, although it’s a bit blurry now,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “I think I was on 499 wickets and I was hoping to reach the milestone in the second Test in Vizag, but it didn’t happen. But on the second day in Rajkot, I finally got Zak Crawley. It wasn’t a particularly big ball event, but I finally got to the reference point”.
“After the end of the game, I agreed to do some interviews and went to the press area. I had just gotten my 500th wicket, so I was expecting a call from my wife or my father. I was a little surprised not to hear from him. They , since it was almost 7 pm, but I figured they must be busy with interviews and responding to congratulatory messages, so I didn’t think much of it.
“After not being able to contact my parents, I finally managed to talk to my wife on the phone. Her voice was breaking. I told her I was about to get in the shower and she asked me to go somewhere alone, away from my classmates. He said my mother had fainted after a bad headache.
Ashwin said he could not immediately process the news, particularly with the Test and series on the line. England had finished the second day on 207 for 2 in reply to India’s 445, with the series tied 1-1.
“I just went blank. I don’t remember what I did, but I was crying,” Ashwin said. “I didn’t know what to ask him. I didn’t want anyone to see me cry; it was an instinctive reaction. I sat alone in my room, not knowing what to do.
“On the one hand, I knew I had to go home, but I was also thinking about how to disappoint my teammates. I couldn’t strike that balance. I didn’t know what to say to the coach or captain. I was in the XI, and if I go home now , we would be left with only 10 players, which would give England the advantage.
“But I was also thinking about my mother. And when was the last time I spoke to her? In my mind, I knew I had to come home and see her, but the doctors informed us that no one was allowed in.” Get to know her.”
It was at that moment, Ashwin said, that Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid walked into the locker room and made a simple decision.
“I think since I wasn’t answering my phone, my wife must have called Rohit and Dravid to tell them the news. Rohit came in, saw me thinking and just said, ‘What are you doing? You have to leave immediately.’ . Please pack your bags and go.'”
The next challenge was to find a quick way back home, but with no flights scheduled to Chennai until the next morning, Ashwin received help from an unexpected source.
“I must also thank Cheteshwar Pujara, who spoke to many people and arranged a charter flight for me.
“Our team’s physiotherapist Kamlesh Jain is a good friend. Rohit told Kamlesh to accompany me on the flight to Chennai, even though Kamlesh was one of the only two physiotherapists in the team.
“I told Kamlesh, ‘Okay, please stay back’. But when I boarded the flight, Kamlesh and a security person were already there. Not only that, but Rohit kept calling Kamlesh regularly to check on him. and see how I was. How I am. That moved me deeply. In a selfish society like ours, that man who decides to take a moment to think about the well-being of another person is really great.
“Rohit is a special person, an exceptional leader, with a heart of gold. I saw it first hand. I would give my life for him on the field, that is the type of captain he is. It is because of these qualities that he won so many titles. , including five IPLs. I pray to God that Rohit achieves even more in his career and life.”
Ashwin’s stay in Chennai was brief and after he was informed that his mother would recover, he knew he had to join his teammates in Rajkot. “At first, my mother was surprised to see me. And that’s the difference between parents of previous generations and today. She only wanted the best for me. And she wanted me to be on the team. Even in those circumstances, He kept thinking about me.”
With the help of BCCI secretary Jay Shah, Ashwin was able to take another chartered flight from Chennai to Rajkot and eventually joined his teammates on the fourth day. India won the Rajkot Test by 434 runs to take a 2-1 lead and eventually won the series 4-1 in Dharamsala with Ashwin taking nine wickets in his 100th Test.