Veteran R Ashwin said he made a special bond with Yashasvi Jaiswal during the IPL. (Sportzpics)
India off-spinner R Ashwin’s sudden international retirement after the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Brisbane last week came as a jolt to at least few of his national teammates who were kept in the dark until before the official announcement in a press conference at Gabba.
The veteran of 765 international wickets drew curtains on an illustrious 14-year career during which he won the ODI World Cup in 2011 and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy besides several other accolades. In a video montage shared by the BCCI, several of his teammates, including Virat Kohli, captain Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal were seen crestfallen as Ashwin delivered his farewell speech before his teammates.
Reflecting on the video clips that have taken over social media, captioned ‘Men do cry’, Ashwin recounted about how he and the young Jaiswal forged a strong bond from the Indian Premier League. An IPL veteran, Ashwin joined the Rajasthan Royals in 2022 and played three seasons until he was released last month while Jaiswal has been with the Royals since 2020.
Speaking in an interview with Tamil media personality Gopinath D, Ashwin explained how Jaiswal transformed from a raw talent to a polished athlete in the IPL and certain interventions from the senior India bowler left the Mumbai batter emotional.
“We have a special bond. When I was first picked up by RR and I went there, I realised that he was a great talent. But there are many non-negotiables when you come into the IPL level, that many don’t talk about while playing in the league. Like when you have a new ball, you try not to hit it flat onto the ground so that it does not disrupt the swing. Only then will the ball swing and in T20s it is of great importance even for a few deliveries. Many cricketers come without knowing these basics these days because they haven’t received that guidance from the right people while coming up.
Yashaswi Jaiswal and Ashwin batting together for the Rajasthan Royals. (BCCI)
“So he was a raw talent like that when he came in but you knew he was a special talent as soon as you saw him. You knew that, ‘he could create the fear around and had the potential to become one of the best in international cricket,” remarked Ashwin.
An unpleasant training session incident would eventually bring the two together. “During training, when the foreign and Indian players mingle, there could be the occasional minor scuffle between them. In one such instance, I stood up for him against one of them and asked what was wrong in what he was doing. Since then, I have guided him, trying to correct any mistakes and always being there for him. He began to tear up suddenly and I felt for him in that moment,” Ashwin said.
The 22-year-old Jaiswal has plundered over 1600 runs in the IPL since 2020, with two hundreds and nine half-centuries. Jaiswal made a seamless transition to the Indian Test side and has had a record-breaking run since, aggregating 1600 runs in 33 innings with four tons and eight fifties.
Ashwin and Jaiswal will be pitted in opposite camps when the IPL resumes next year as the Tamil Nadu legend returns to his roots with the Chennai Super Kings after a Rs 9.75 crore signing at the Mega Auction in November.
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