If there is one person who knows R. Ashwin better than most, it is former Indian cricketer and women’s team coach WV Raman. The Tamil Nadu off-spinner made his first-class debut when Raman was in charge of the state team and spoke about the latter’s role in his early years in domestic cricket.
“His legacy is that he punched above his weight because nothing came easy to him. He must have worked hard to achieve everything he has achieved in life,” Raman said about Ashwin’s illustrious career.
“And he always had something to prove. In some ways, his career is similar to that of Anil Kumble. They both had to spend a lot of time proving to others that they could do something. And even today, I don’t think Ashwin was celebrated enough or that his actions were appreciated in the spirit and context of what he did. I say this because even today many people say that he was very successful on the lathes and not on the tracks which are not conducive to bowling. I think it’s unfair if people keep saying he’s only successful on the turns. Because when it comes to batsmen, we don’t hold back from celebrating hundreds of good hits.”
“Similarly, I believe his actions on the turning tracks also need to be appreciated in the right spirit and in the context of what his wickets did for India to win as many matches as they did when Ashwin bowled well and picked up the bags of wickets,” he added.
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Raman also explained that Ashwin’s feats are remarkable considering he started bowling quite late in his career and had to catch up in learning the craft.
“It was difficult for him to constantly think about how quickly he would learn a craft that would allow him to settle down permanently and eventually climb the ladder. So if one were to think about all this, they would realize what exactly Ashwin did to become the legend that he is. They have just listened to his speeches and they may be polarized in their views about Ashwin, this person or cricket, but if they sit down and think about what he had to do, they will realize that this guy is phenomenal.
