Retired India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday revealed that his exuberant celebration after dismissing former India captain MS Dhoni early in his career had actually irritated the iconic wicketkeeper-batter.
Speaking on JioStar’s The Ravichandran Ashwin Experience, Ashwin recalled that taking Dhoni’s wicket during the Challenger Trophy was a pivotal moment that he hoped would open doors to play for Chennai Super Kings.
"Muttiah Muralitharan was in the team, a legend, bowling his full quota, so I wasn’t getting chances (to play for CSK). I didn’t play in 2008, but in 2009, I got my first game in Cape Town, against Mumbai Indians, against Sachin Tendulkar. Between 2009 and 2010, I still didn’t get many opportunities," Ashwin said.
He continued, "In the Challenger Trophy, I got a chance to bowl to Dhoni. Dhoni got out twice against our team. Once, he hit a shot towards deep cover, and I took a diving catch. I celebrated it so much that he actually got annoyed."
"He (Dhoni) was like, 'What's there to celebrate so much?' I told him, ‘Getting your wicket was my dream. Maybe this will open a door for me in CSK.' The next year, I got my chance."
Ashwin also reflected on the secret behind CSK’s sustained success from 2010 to 2015. Chennai was one of those early teams with not just good batsmen, but many quality bowlers too. Along with that, a few domestic players came through, like me, Murali Vijay, Badrinath, and Shadab Jakati, who many may not know but played a heroic role for CSK, he was the captain of Goa at that time." "Wriddhiman Saha was also picked and used in the middle order, and he performed. That was the kind of cricketing environment Chennai had. Also, you didn't have to worry about anything off the field,” he said.
"Family logistics, tickets, rooms, travel, everything was taken care of. If my parents wanted to come, it was all arranged. There were buses, cars and everything in place. So instead of worrying about these things under pressure, you could just focus on cricket. These may seem like small things, but they go a long way. You can't buy that goodwill; it has to be built." Ashwin added.
Finishing his IPL career with CSK, Ashwin said, “When I got the chance to play for CSK again, the first thought was that I could finish where I started. My intention was to play for 2-3 years. It didn't happen, that's a different story. I won't go there now. But where it started, it finished there.”
"And I had another small dream to finish at Chepauk. I couldn't do that. My last IPL game was in Delhi. But if I had played at Chepauk, it would have been even better. Because my last ODI game was at Chepauk. There are many memories on that ground, it's very close to my heart," he said.
Discussing his final IPL wicket of prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ashwin explained, "It was a bit tactical. Cricket has changed; these Gen Z players hit spinners off their lengths. So, I planned to bowl slightly fuller with drift, which off-spinners get. If extra cover is back, they think I'll bowl wide, but I won't. I'll go towards the pads with turn. That's how I got Sanju Samson's wicket.
"Vaibhav Suryavanshi is an exceptional talent. The way he was hitting sixes, I tried to beat him in flight. I pulled the length back to tempt him. He was beaten but adjusted mid-swing and played a reverse sweep towards mid-on. I just said, ‘Wow, this is one hell of a player.' At 14, you expect errors or some hesitation against big bowlers, but that wasn't there.
"He's calculating; he's reading the game. When someone has skill, power, tactical awareness, and clarity under pressure, that's a dangerous combination. He has it. Just don't put too much pressure on him. Let him go through his cricketing journey; he has a lot of skill, I'd want him to try red-ball cricket too."
