India vs England: File photo of R Ashwin© AFP
R Ashwin had an eventful India vs England Test series. The veteran spinner played his 100th Test and even claimed his 500th wicket in the format. However, not all was good for the star bowler as his mother Chitra faced a health emergency in the middle of the series. He had to leave the camp in the middle of the Rajkot Test to be by his mother’s side. On the second day of the Test match, Ashwin dismissed England’s Zak Crawley to pocket his 500th Test scalp. However, hours after the feat, Ashwin went through a traumatic experience for which he had to leave the squad on an immediate basis.
“Ravichandran Ashwin has withdrawn from the Test squad, effective immediately due to a family medical emergency. In these challenging times, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the team fully supports Ashwin,” said BCCI in its release. Reports said Ashwin’s mother Chitra had suffered a medical emergency.
Ashwin recounted recently what he went though on that night. “We went to the dressing room for another debrief and then back to our rooms. Rohit, me, and others were just discussing some things about the match here and there.
“That is when I realized I was not getting calls from my parents or wife. I thought they were busy attending calls and giving interviews. I called my wife around 7 PM, asking why my parents weren’t answering my call. Her voice was a bit shaky. She asked me to come separately from the crowd and told me that my mother collapsed after a headache,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“I blanked out. I did not know how to react or what questions to ask. I was crying but wanted to ensure nobody was watching me cry. It is unnecessary to think of it that way, but it was instinctive. I could not think. I was crying in my room for some time.
The reference to his mom came back in one of his social media posts which said that the match figures of his debut Test and his 100th Test were same. “No improvement after all these years of playing the game. “Only my mom can say things like this”” he wrote in an hilarious post on X.
No improvement after all these years of playing the game.
“Only my mom can say things like this” https://t.co/UKEN8kovLX
— Ashwin (@ashwinravi99) March 13, 2024
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