Ashwin’s father Ravichandran on his son’s 500th Test wicket: ‘Turning point was his mother’s idea to switch to spin bowling because of wheezing’

Ashwin’s father Ravichandran on his son’s 500th Test wicket: ‘Turning point was his mother’s idea to switch to spin bowling because of wheezing’

By Ravichandran

Speaking to the media at the end of second day’s play, R Ashwin dedicated his 500th Test wicket to his father. “It’s been quite a long journey. Firstly I’d like to dedicate this feat to my father. He’s been with me through thick and thin, probably had a heart-attack every time he’s watched me play. His health has probably gone for a toss because of that.” Ashwin’s father, Ravichandran, recalls his son’s journey, which started with tennis ball cricket on the streets of West Mambalam in Chennai.

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The 500-wicket milestone is an unforgettable moment for me. I’ve been dreaming about for a long time and this wicket will keep playing in my mind until my last breath.

My memory jogs back to the days when I took him on my scooter to school and for coaching. For a father to have a wish or a dream is one thing. But for the son to buy into it and make sacrifices is different. Ashwin made us live a dream.

To concentrate on both studies and sports is not easy. When he was young, he understood the effort I was putting in for him.

Right from the time he started, Ashwin has been hard-working. Avan oru cricket paithiyam (he is a cricket tragic). When he was busy at the nets, I would borrow notes from his friends, take photocopies and hand it over to him. Although cricket had become a part of our lives, we couldn’t overlook education. He would cooperate because mathematics and science are important subjects, which you cannot ignore.

He had one condition when I sat down to teach him. He should also be able to follow the match on television. I never stopped him from watching cricket. Because if I did, I knew his mind would be thinking only about the game and he wouldn’t pay attention on the books.

The only thing he didn’t enjoy during his school days was learning music. Since his mother Chitra is interested in Carnatic music, we enrolled him for a class. He got frustrated with it and said, “vitudu pa ena (leave me out of this)”. When he was in seventh grade, he even took up karate, but cricket ultimately became the true love.

More than my perseverance to make him a cricketer, his perseverance to become one was huge. Every time he faced a hurdle in his career, it helped him sail over it. What I feel has stood out most about Ashwin is his ability to move on from what happened the previous day.

The biggest turning point in Ashwin’s career was when he switched to bowling off-spin. And I must thank my wife Chitra for that decision. Those days Ashwin had wheezing and he also had an issue with his knee. So to do all the running (he started off as a medium pacer) was proving to be a challenge. It was Chitra who said, ‘why should you run so much. Just take a few steps and bowl spin’.

I must thank Chandrasekhar Rao, who was his first guru at PSBB. ‘Ivlo saraku vechutu, waste panatha da’ (don’t lose your way with all the talent) was his daily advice. Then S Ramesh, TS Ramasamy and Riyaz had huge influence as coaches. At St Bede’s school, coach CK Vijaykumar believed he can not only be a good spinner, but he was also the first one to say that Ashwin can play for India. And with the support of RI Pazhani (in-charge of cricket at St Bede’s), he got the opportunities at St Bede’s.

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The next big push came when Ashwin was in his second Ranji Trophy season. Before a game, he fell and fractured his arm, which led to Abhinav Mukund making his debut. I felt the injury happened at the worst possible time. But very soon, I got a message saying that Venkatapathy Raju, who was a selector then, was keeping tabs on Ashwin. In the next season, he got picked for Duleep Trophy. It was a huge step in his career because those tournaments had significance back then.

Of course, there is disappointment when he doesn’t make it to the XI. But you have to understand that it is part and parcel of the game. During such moments, it is invariably Ashwin who motivates me. He will say ‘take it easy’ and move ahead. ‘Ethuku kavala padra, nane jolly ah velila ukanthu irukean (why are you worried, when I don’t have a problem warming the bench) is his usual response.

Lot of times, he is seen as an over-thinker. But he isn’t. He is just intelligent in his own way. There are multiple ways to solve a math problem and it is up to an individual to find what works for him. You have to pursue what your heart says. If you don’t think, you will not improve. He is a voracious reader. And if he had not found new ways, at this level, he would have been found out easily and we won’t be talking right now about 500. He has done so, only because he is not predictable. And that is because he uses his brain.

Speaking to him, I don’t get the feeling that 500 wickets meant the world to him. Of course, it is a huge milestone, but it isn’t everything. It is an achievement yes, but it is not a number that overly excites him.

I must thank the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association for all the support they offered to us. We don’t know if he will pick up 550th or 600. But what I can say is, he would have been happy with 499 wickets as well.

(Ashwin’s father Ravichandran spoke to Venkata Krishna B)

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