Just after picking up his 500th Test wicket, R Ashwin had to leave Rajkot for Chennai midway through the Test match.
Just after picking up his 500th Test wicket, Ravichandran Ashwin had to leave Rajkot midway through the Test match due to medical emergency. This was a tough time for R Ashwin and his family but BCCI secretary Jay Shah and BCCI showed tremendous gesture by helping out the cricketer.
Former India allrounder and coach Ravi Shastri revealed how BCCI arranged Ashwin’s chartered flight to take him home and bring him back. “The BCCI secretary Jay Shah organized a charter to take him home and bring him back. I think that’s the kind of empathy that’s needed from the BCCI as well. They are the guardians of Indian cricket and with this kind of empathy, they will go a long, long way,” Shastri said during his commentary stint.
BCCI arranged charter flight for Ashwin to go back to his home due to a family emergency and for returning to Rajkot as well.
– Great work by the board in tough times. pic.twitter.com/HY9bMJZqZE
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 18, 2024
“It also makes the players feel they belong and are special. Good gesture from the BCCI and from Ashwin, too,” he added.
R Ashwin came back on the Day 4 of Rajkot Test after missing the whole Day 3. Ashwin returned after Tea and picked up 1-19 in his 6 overs. Luckily, he didn’t have to toil hard as England were bowled out for just 122 under 40 overs. Ashwin’s bowling partner Ravindra Jadeja picked up 5 wickets in the second innings.
Rohit Sharma later on praised Ashwin’s for putting everything ahead for the team. “When we heard the news, there was no second thought in our mind that he should do what he feels is right. He wanted to be with the family, which is an absolutely right thing to do and good on him to actually make a way and come here and be part of the team on this day as well. It shows the character and shows the kind of person he is, wanting to put everything ahead for the team,” Indian captain said.
In the first innings, Ashwin created history by becoming the ninth bowler in Test history to pick up 500 wickets when he dismissed Zak Crawley. He is the second Indian after Anil Kumble to achieve this feat.
R Ashwin’s wife Prithi Narayanan penned an emotional note on social media and hailed Ashwin’s achievement on the field as ‘Phenomenal’. She also mentions the time when Ashwin left the match midway due to family medical emergency and termed it “Longest 48 hours of our lives.”
Read: Rohit Sharma’s hilarious comment on Ravindra Jadeja caught on stump mic
India eventually won the match by a huge margin of 434 runs. This is India’s biggest Test win in terms of runs. After competing hard for the first two days, England could not continue the fight from Day 3 while the hosts displayed why they have been invincible at home. Ravindra Jadeja was adjudged Man of the Match for his crucial century and 7 wickets in the match.
