Highlights
- Ashwin suffered an injury between 2017 and 2019
- Ashwin kept out of the team due to injury
- Ashwin is currently on South Africa tour
Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had thought of retiring several times between 2018 and 2020, as he felt that he would not be able to take the field again due to injuries. Even he was not getting the support of the people.
Ashwin is currently on a tour of South Africa for a three-Test series. He has said that between 2017 and 2019, he suffered an injury, which made it difficult for him to walk and because of the pain, he even thought of retirement.
“Between 2018 and 2020, I had considered quitting the game at various points,” Ashwin told ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday. Injuries used to bother me a lot, even when I used to bowl six balls, I would get breathless. The hard work I used to do was not paying off.
The off-spinner said that people were not sensitive enough when he was going through that phase and started emphasizing on his intention and willingness to fight. He said, ‘You can tell me anything or you can throw me out, which is fine. But you cannot doubt my intention or my struggle, which has hurt me so much. I thought of retirement for many reasons. I felt that people were not sensitive to my injuries. I’ve seen a lot of people backed out, why not me? I have won a lot of matches for the team and no one is supporting me.
Ashwin said that he realized that there have been ups and downs in his career. At such a time, only his wife and father were supporting him. Who was always optimistic that I would return. The first Test match of the 3-match series between India and South Africa will be played at Centurion from December 26.
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