ONCE MS DHONI HIT A SHOT AND I TOOK A DIVING CATCH; I CELEBRATED IT SO MUCH THAT HE ACTUALLY GOT ANNOYED”: RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN

A multiple-time TATA IPL winner, Ravichandran Ashwin, a Chennai lad, began his journey with his home franchise, Chennai Super Kings, winning two titles before eventually returning to end his journey there. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘The Ravichandran Ashwin Experience’, the JioStar expert reflected on his early days with CSK, how he was first picked, the franchise environment, and his final TATA IPL wicket- Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

Speaking on JioStar’s ‘The Ravichandran Ashwin Experience’, Ashwin recalled how he was picked for CSK for the first time:

“I’ve always wanted to stay grateful. People come into your life, lay a stepping stone for you, and then move on and for me, that person was VB Chandrasekhar. He’s no longer with us, a life gone too soon. In Chennai’s league cricket, I was playing for Chemplast against MRF at Pachaiyappa’s ground when T20 was new and people felt spinners had no role, especially the finger spinners. During the auction, CSK had already picked Muttiah Muralitharan, and I thought my chances were gone. Then came the final of that same tournament at Chepauk, it was Chemplast vs India Cements, who owned CSK. I took six wickets. Kasi Viswanathan and Kris Srikkanth were there, and after I got Player of the Match, Srikkanth said, ‘What, CSK didn’t pick you? Hey Kasi, take him, you should pick good players.’ The next day, I got a call from VB Chandrasekhar. He told me, ‘I’ve been watching you for five years. In T20, I’m not sure about a finger spinner’s role, but you’ll learn a lot. Learn as much as you can—you can go far, your attitude is good’ and gave me the contract.”

On making MS Dhoni angry during the initial days of his cricketing career:

“It took me a long time, six or seven years, to understand the enormity of the situation. I had no other option. Muttiah Muralitharan was in the team, a legend, bowling his full quota, so I wasn’t getting chances. 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. 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 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.”

On the CSK environment and the secret behind their sustained success, especially during 2010-2015:

“I think 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. 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.”

On finishing his TATA IPL career with CSK:

“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.

On his final TATA IPL wicket, the ‘Fearless Prodigy’ Vaibhav Suryavanshi:

“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.”