Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his thoughts on leaving cricket

Prithi Ashwin in an interview with a media network expressed her thoughts on R Ashwin’s challenging career, she stated that the year was 2017 and the off-spinner was ruled out of the white-ball side without any clarification offered on his future in the squad. “He didn’t know if he was dropped or rested. If someone told Ashwin, ‘Come here, you are not good enough’, he would get out and work on it. But when he was not told why he wasn’t there, I saw him struggling.”

“I decided to quit cricket. I was asking myself what I would do. And I said whatever I do in life, I will try to achieve excellence and be as good as possible in that profession. I would probably try to do an MBA and probably be in marketing,” Ashwin revealed in the interview. 

It was a discussion that happened at home with his father that led the Indian spinner, who recently marked his 100th Test appearance and crossed the 600-wicket milestone and even thought of hanging his boots. 

“We were having a conversation and my dad said, ‘You know what? You are too upright and honest. That’s why you are getting screwed.’ He made that statement and left. I am not someone who is emotive. I would like to think I am pretty strong but I just locked myself away and cried a lot. I was crying for a long time. I didn’t expect my dad to say that. I don’t think he even realized what he did,” Ashwin said.

“I used to think that I was burdening the people in my house. I would isolate myself in my room, and it was always dark in there. I also didn’t have any interest in watching cricket either,” he clarified. After considering his options, which comprised pursuing an MBA degree and a career in marketing, Ashwin finally decided to undergo counselling. “It turned out to be a life-changing decision for the better.”