Team India’s star spin all-rounder Ravi Ashwin had to leave team India’s squad immediately on day three of the third test match between India and England, citing a medical emergency in the family as his mother collapsed and was admitted to the hospital.
After Anil Kumble, Ashwin became the second spinner to pick up 500 test wickets for India in the longest format of the game.
On his YouTube channel, Ashwin revealed how the news of his mother left him completely blank and how a kind gesture from Rohit Sharma left him ‘gobsmacked’. Ashwin further went on to say that Rohit Sharma is an outstanding leader for the way he handled the situation.
Ashwin said,I asked how she was and if she was conscious. The doctor apparently told me that she was not in a position to be seen. I started tearing up. I was searching for a flight, but I couldn’t get one. The Rajkot airport closes down at 6, as there are no flights from there after 6. I didn’t know what to do. Rohit (Sharma) and Rahul (Dravid) Bhai came to my room, and Rohit literally asked me to stop thinking and leave to be there with my family. And he was trying to arrange a charter flight for me.”
Ashwin further stated that “Kamlesh, the team physio, is a very good friend of mine. Rohit told him to fly with me to Chennai and be with me, but I convinced him to stay back. When I went down, the security and Kamlesh were already there, waiting. Kamlesh got a call from Rohit on our ride towards the airport, checking up on me and literally asking him to be with me during this tough time. It was 9:30 at night. I was just gobsmacked. I cannot even think about it. The two people there are the only ones with whom I could talk. What if nobody was there? I just thought, even if I were a captain, I’d tell my players to go back home. I had no second thoughts about it. But will I be calling people to check up on him? I don’t know. Unbelievable. I saw an outstanding leader in Rohit Sharma that day.”
Ashwin further went on to say that Rohit Sharma has a good and gentle heart that has made him a successful leader. Ashwin even went on to say that Rohit does even more of what Ms. Dhoni used to do.
Ashwin’s Century: Rewriting Cricket History against England
“I’ve played under several captains and leaders, but it is his (Rohit’s) good heart that has made him what he is today—someone with five IPL titles as equal to Dhoni. God doesn’t make 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. My respect for him grew tremendously after that. I already had respect for him as a leader; he backs a player without question until the last moment. It’s not an easy thing. Even Dhoni does that. But he takes 10 steps more.
