'I felt blank and was crying,' Ravi Ashwin opens up on Rohit Sharma's heartwarming gesture in third test vs England

Ravi Ashwin became the second Indian bowler after Anil Kumble to reach 500 test wickets.

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has opened up about his roller-coaster of emotions during the Rajkot test against England, saying he went blank and was crying after he heard that his mother fell ill. The incident happened after the Indian player achieved the iconic milestone of 500 test wickets.

The 37-year-old also revealed that he couldn’t be more thankful to Indian captain Rohit Sharma for his ‘heartwarming gesture’ and also BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who helped him return home and be with his family during tough times.

Ashwin left the Rajkot test after the end of the second day’s play and returned to his home in Chennai after his mother collapsed following a severe headache. The Indian cricketer didn’t take the field on the third day of the test match against England, but he rejoined the team on the fourth day.

Ashwin said that he was in a dilemma about whether to leave the third test midway through and head back to Chennai and support his family during this tough time.

He was trying to arrange a charter flight for me: Ravi Ashwin opens up on great gesture by Rohit Sharma

In a recent video uploaded on Ashwin’s YouTube channel, the Indian off-spinner opened up about Rohit Sharma’s gesture during the hard times that saw Ashwin leave the squad midway through the Rajkot test to attend to his mother, who’d collapsed after a headache in their home in Chennai.

“I asked how she was and if she was conscious. The doctor apparently told me that she was not in a position to be seen. I started tearing up. I was searching for a flight but I couldn’t get one. The Rajkot airport closes down at 6 as there are no flights from there after 6. I didn’t know what to do. Rohit (Sharma) and Rahul (Dravid) Bhai came to my room and Rohit literally asked me to stop thinking and leave to be there with my family. And he was trying to arrange a charter flight for me,” Ashwin shared.

Ashwin also revealed that Rohit convinced him to return home and meet his mother without any second thought. The spinner also noted that the Indian captain asked one of the team physios to accompany him on his trip back home.

“Kamlesh, the team physio, is a very good friend of mine. Rohit told him to fly with me to Chennai and be with me but I convinced him to stay back. When I went down, the security and Kamlesh were already there, waiting. Kamlesh got a call from Rohit on our ride towards the airport, checking up on me and literally asking him to be with me during this tough time,” Ashwin said

“It was 9:30 at night. I was just gobsmacked. I cannot even think about it. The two people there are the only ones that I could talk. What if nobody was there? I just thought, even if I were a captain, I’d tell my players to go back home. No second thoughts about it. But, will I be calling people to check up on him? I don’t know. Unbelievable. I saw an outstanding leader in Rohit Sharma that day,” Ravi Ashwin added.

The Tamil Nadu ace believes it is this level of personal attention and empathy that Rohit has for his players which has contributed to his success as a captain. He also stated said his respect for Rohit Sharma grew tremendously after that incident.

“I’ve played under several captains and leaders, but it is his (Rohit’s) good heart that has made him what he is today – someone with five IPL titles as equal to Dhoni. God doesn’t give it easy. He should get something bigger than all that, which God will give him. In such a selfish society, a man who thinks about someone else’s well-being is a rarity. My respect for him grew tremendously after that. I already had respect for him as a leader, he backs a player without question until the last moment. It’s not an easy thing. Even Dhoni does that. But, he takes 10 steps more.” Ashwin cooncluded.

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