Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of the integral members of India’s Test squad over the past many years. Last year, Ashwin received a call-up to the T20I squad as well, as he represented the team in the World Cup in October-November in the United Arab Emirates. In the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League, the 35-year-old off-spinner has been one of the pivotal members of the Rajasthan Royals – not only with the ball. Ashwin has also been utilized as a batter in the lower order and recently scored an important knock during the game against Chennai Super Kings (40* off 23 balls), steering the side to a five-wicket victory and securing a second-place finish for the Royals. Follow IPL 2022 Coverage
In a candid conversation on Rajasthan Royals’ official YouTube channel, Ashwin opened up on his time at the franchise and also spoke in detail about his playing style. Ashwin is known for his out-of-the-box thinking in the game, and was among the first players to bring the ‘Mankad’ mode of dismissal to mainstream conversations. As a result, it was legalized by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) earlier this year.
The off-spinner recalled a piece of crucial advice from former India head coach Duncan Fletcher, with which he relates “all through his life.”
“Years ago, we had a head coach called Duncan Fletcher for the Indian cricket team. I used to go and ask him, “how do I improve? How do I get better?’ He said ‘the only way you could get better is by making mistakes and failing in front of people’. And that’s what I’ve always done all through my life,” Ashwin recalled.
“I’ve received a lot of criticism for how I wanted to expand beyond the realm. Sometimes people just may feel, why is he doing all these things? Is he over-ambitious? Is he trying to do too much? But that’s just me. If you take that out of me, you won’t get this person. So yes, I come with a lot of problems! If I’m utlizied and if I’m given the form of expressions I require, I can explore boundaries,” the off-spinner further said.
Ashwin is set to return to action in Qualifier 2 of the 2022 Indian Premier League, as Royals meet the Royal Challengers Bangalore for a place in the final of the season.
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