India captain Rohit Sharma has come out in support of Ravichandran Ashwin after the India spinner faced criticism for his performance in the Test series against England.
Despite emerging as the leading wicket-taker of the series with 26 scalps, Ashwin was called out for not being at his best, an assessment that was far from the truth and stemmed from the fact that Ashwin did not take a five-wicket-haul in the first three Tests, even though he had registered figures of 3/68 and 3/72.
But as is the case with Virat Kohli and centuries, Ashwin and five-fors go hand-in-hand too. Hence, when Ashwin had a bit off an off Test in Rajkot, picking up just two wickets, outside noise crept in. Ashwin finally broke the deadlock, picking 5/51 in Ranchi, followed by 5/77 in Dharamsala, breaking Anil Kumble’s record of most five-wicket-hauls by an Indian in Tests. Backing Ashwin to the hilt, Rohit pointed out the insurmountable pressure Ashwin has to deal with, especially when playing in India, and served a hard-hitting reminder to his doubters.
“Ravi Ash… his career speaks for himself man. Look at the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards that he has won. Tells you clearly that he has been a match-winner for Team India. Whenever we play in India, this guy puts his hand up all the time. And to me, it doesn’t matter whether you play in or outside India. Imagine the amount of pressure he has to go through,” Rohit said on his Instagram handle ‘Team Ro’.
The series wasn’t all about accomplishments for Ashwin. On the day he picked up his 500th Test wicket, Ashwin had to withdraw himself from the Rajkot Test and rush back home to attend to his unwell mother, in which Rohit played a big role. Once her condition improved Ashwin was back. Grateful for the support he received from the captain, Ashwin expressed deep gratitude to Rohit, stating he can give his life for him on the field.
Ashwin is human too, reminds Rohit
Not one great player hasn’t gone through ups and down in form thus far. But Ashwin’s record in India remains an exception. He has enjoyed many a memorable outing at home, but this series could well reserve a top-three place in Ashwin’s list as none of the pitches were what they call the proverbial ‘dustbowl’. These were proper Test match wickets, and for Ashwin to stand out yet again, is just exactly the point Rohit is trying to put across.
“If there is an inning where he has not taken wickets, people start talking ‘Oh, he is not bowling well. This is happening, that is happening. Arre bhai… insaan hai (Boss, he is human). At the end of the day, he is trying his best.
But imagine, for him, to come out on top every time being in this situation, and to do it and keep delivering series after series says a lot about what kind of a performer he is,” added the India captain.
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