NEW DELHI: Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed the support he got from skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid when he had to fly back home due to a medical emergency in the family during the third Test at Rajkot.
Ashwin had to withdraw from the second Test after the second day’s play because of a family medical emergency and missed the entire day three, with the statement of his overnight withdrawal from the match. Ashwin had picked his 500th Test wicket in the form of England opener Zak Crawley on Day Two of the third Test in Rajkot becoming the second fastest to the milestone.
However, Ashwin rejoined the squad on Day 4 of the third Test after being unavailable for the third day. Sharing the experience of the day, Ashwin talked about Rohit Sharma on his YouTube channel and said ‘there's something in him that makes him a leader.’
“When I got the news about my mother, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid came to my room and arranged a charter flight at 9:30 pm. I have played under many captains but there's something in him that makes him a leader,” Ashwin said on his YT channel. “Rohit has got a good heart, someone with five IPL titles, God doesn't give it easy - he should get something bigger than all that, which God will give him, In such a selfish society, a man who thinks about someone else's well-being is a rarity,” he added.
Ashwin, who debuted in Tests in November 2011 against the West Indies, became the 14th Indian player to play 100 Test matches for India in the fifth Test at Dharamshala.
The veteran off-spinner also became just the second bowler after Muttiah Muralitharan to achieve 500 wickets in less than 100 Test matches.
India clinched the five-match Test series against England 4-1 after losing the first Test at Hyderabad.