File image of Virat Kohli and R Ashwin.© AFP
A part of Ravichandran Ashwin‘s persona over his time as an Indian cricketer has been someone who appears to be methodical about his work and at times comes across as a serious person. This reputation of Ashwin’s has spread to the extent where people would even criticise him for chasing personal numbers. However, Ashwin has now defended his methods and persona, and clarified exactly the type of person he is. Speaking in a podcast with Sky Sports Cricket, Ashwin described that he isn’t the type to “blow kisses to his better half”.
Ashwin explained his thought process during a game and why he does not come across as a particularly excited individual.
“I wanted people to know me for who I am, because a lot of times, Ashwin is picking up a wicket and Virat Kohli is all over the place. He’s just jumping about and people very often tend to believe that Ashwin’s the one that’s absolutely serious and Virat’s the one that’s having all the fun, which is why somebody asked me the question ‘Why are you serious all the time?’ My answer to that in the first place is I’m never a serious person, but when somebody is clobbering me and I have the ball in my hand to win a Test Match for my country, my mind is stuck, because I’m in the process,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin stated that he wanted to bring out the less serious side of his persona in his autobiography ‘I Had The Streets’.
“So very often, you don’t see me picking up a five-wicket haul and pushing across a kiss through the blade of my bat to my better half sitting in the dressing room or sitting in the hospitality box. So I felt like a lot of who I am got diluted in the fact of what I’ve become. So I wanted to bring that out in my book,” Ashwin said.
While Ashwin may not be the most animated person on the cricket field, his method worked for him, as he picked up 765 international wickets, including 537 Test wickets.
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