Ravichandran Ashwin / From kidnapping to becoming the world's best spinner, Ashwin's 14-year story

Ravichandran Ashwin: Staying in international cricket for such a long time is nothing short of a miracle. But Ravichandran Ashwin turned it into reality. Playing for Team India for about a decade and a half, he not only became India's most reliable match winner, but also made his own identity in all three formats of cricket. It is very interesting to know the untold stories of his hard work and life hidden behind these great moments of Ashwin's career.

When Ashwin was kidnapped

In the world of cricket, players keep falling prey to the strategy of the opposing team, but what happened to Ashwin was surprising. During a tennis ball match, 4-5 members and fans of the opposing team kidnapped him. Ashwin himself mentioned this incident in an interview. He told that the opposing team wanted to stop him from playing in the match.

People from the opposing team came on a Royal Enfield bike and took Ashwin away saying that they had to pick him up. Their motive was clear—to stop Ashwin from entering the field. This incident became one of the unusual and exciting experiences of his life.

The story of becoming a world-class off-spinner from a medium pacer

Ashwin's cricketing journey started as a medium pace bowler in the beginning. But his school coach CK Vijaykumar recognized the real potential hidden in his bowling. This was the time when Ashwin was in 11th class.

Vijaykumar told that one day Ashwin was bowling medium pace in the nets. After getting tired, he asked, "Can I bowl off spin?" The coach agreed. From here Ashwin's off spin journey started. The next day Ashwin again asked for permission to bowl medium pace, but the coach refused him. Vijaykumar was sure that Ashwin's future lies in off spin.

Following the coach's advice, Ashwin focused on off spin, and this decision proved to be the biggest turning point in his career. The coach also explained to his father that Ashwin's real identity is off spin bowling.

A golden journey of 14 years

The path that Ashwin chose after listening to the school coach took him to great heights in the cricket world. Just like MS Dhoni created history by switching from a football goalkeeper to a cricket wicketkeeper, Ashwin has written a new success story in his career by adopting off-spin.

In a career spanning 14 years, Ashwin has given many memorable moments to Indian cricket. He is India's second most successful Test bowler. He has 537 wickets in 106 Test matches. This figure reaches 765 wickets in his entire international career.

Conclusion

Ashwin's journey teaches us that any destination can be achieved with hard work and determination in the right direction. From unusual events like kidnapping to following the advice of his coach, Ashwin's life is full of inspiration. He took Indian cricket to new heights with his skill and ability. Now, he is named among the greatest players of world cricket.

This story of Ravichandran Ashwin is a unique mix of challenges and achievements in his life, which is a source of inspiration for every young cricketer.