'People doubted me whether I could be a Test bowler..': R Ashwin's stunning remark after 500 Test wicket milestone in Rajkot

Renowned Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who reached the landmark of 500 wickets in Test cricket on February 16, Friday, mentioned that there were skeptics questioning his capabilities as a Test bowler at the start of his career in 2011. Ashwin accomplished notched his 500 Test wicket on Day 2 of the third Test against England in Rajkot. Zak Crawley became Ashwin's 500th prey.

Journey as a bowler?

“It has been a very long journey. I don't know where to begin. I became an accidental spinner. I wanted to be a batter. When I walked to the CSK dressing room, Muttiah Muralitharan did not want to bowl the new ball. I got tossed up with it. I had a reasonable start to my life. FC cricket was good. IPL stage got me into the limelight. Not a bad achievement. People doubted me whether I could be a Test bowler,” Ashwin said in the post-match press conference.

Ashwin has become the second Indian bowler, following the iconic leg-spinner Anil Kumble, to achieve the 500-wicket milestone in Test cricket, with Kumble holding 619 Test wickets. The 37-year-old Ashwin mentioned that he does not have a specific goal to surpass Kumble's record, nor is he actively striving for it.

Kumble hauling record crossing your mind?

“The simple answer is No. 120 wickets away. I am 37 years old. I don't know what is in store for the next two months. I don't want to jump the gun. I have kept it simple,” Ashwin added.

Ashwin's tumultuous phase

Throughout his career, Ashwin has contended with challenges related to perception, but recent years have seen him become more comfortable and at peace with himself. "I've always fought a level of perception in my life, about what people think of me. But definitely, in the last five-six years, I've actually not cared about it. I can't keep proving everybody wrong and I can't prove everybody right. I'm glad that somebody is happy and somebody is not," he added.

"But I need to be happy. I'm in a really, really good space in my life and I want this to continue. I don't want to let go of the love for the game. At one point in my life, I was in a really dark space. I didn't want to watch the game and that's not where I want to go in my life ever again," he recollected.

"I'm happy to watch the game. (Even) last night also, I watched Afghanistan versus Sri Lanka play in the third ODI highlights. I watched live New Zealand versus South Africa. This is who I want to be," Ashwin concluded.

Ashwin's all-round show 

On the second day of the third Test in Rajkot, Ashwin had an impressive day out with both bat and ball. After India lost two early wickets, he stitched a strategic 77-run partnership with Dhruv Jurel, helping India surpass the 400-run threshold.

With a contribution of 37 runs, Ashwin played a key role in India's total of 445 runs. Later, as India sought to dismantle the opening partnership of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, they looked to Ashwin for a breakthrough. Ashwin managed to curb the run rate, leading Crawley to attempt a sweep shot. The shot was poorly executed and caught by a fielder, marking Ashwin's entry as the second Indian to reach the 500-wicket milestone in Test cricket.

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