500 wickets for the Indian side in Test cricket is an amazing milestone achieved by veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin. Nevertheless, the 37-year-old had little time to rejoice because, on Day 3 of the Rajkot Test against England, a family issue required him to return immediately to Chennai.
On Day 4 of the match, Ashwin returned after taking care of his family. After giving up just 19 runs in his six-over session, he even claimed a wicket. His wife, Prithi, wrote a sweet statement on Instagram in response to his remarkable perseverance after he reached 500 Test wickets.
“Hindustan was not the destination of the 500 that we pursued. For Vizag, it never happened. I recently bought an enormous amount of candy and distributed it to everyone at home for $499. 500 silently arrived and departed. Until it didn’t. In the years 500–501, a lot occurred. The longest 48 hours of our lives,” Ashwin’s spouse wrote on social media.
But that’s the 500 in question. And the 499 previous to that. What an amazing accomplishment! What an incredible man! Ravi Ashwin, you have my undying pride. We adore you!” she exclaimed.
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Priorities are family: Rohit Sharma
In reference to Ashwin’s absence, Indian captain Rohit Sharma spoke up on the third day of the third Test and discussed how difficult it was for his team to lose one of their most seasoned bowlers in the middle of a match. However, he did express the opinion that family should always come first.
“It’s not easy to lose your most experienced bowler mid-test in a cricket match.” Family comes first, though, beyond all else. And when we got the news, we didn’t second-guess our decision to support him in doing what he thought was right,” Rohit stated during the press conference following the game.
He made the correct decision by wanting to be with his family. He benefited from it, and his willingness to fit in and work with the team speaks volumes about his personality and character. We were glad to see him again,” he continued.
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