“Share memes all day, create a new bowling variation” - Ravichandran Ashwin’s wife shares a heartwarming post for retired cricket legend
Team India's ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin called time on his illustrious international cricket career on Wednesday, December 18. He made the announcement after the side's drawn Brisbane Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia.
Aswhin's wife Prithi Narayanan shared a heartfelt note to give a tribute to her better half and 'all time favourite cricketer'. She stated that after the veteran bowler's press conference, she reminisced about the memories of the 38-year-old's lengthy career.
Now that Ashwin has retired from international cricket, Prithi advised him to be free and live on his terms. She wrote on Instagram:
"It has been a blurry two days for me. I have been thinking about what I can say.. Do I put this down as a tribute to my all time favorite cricketer ? Maybe I’ll just take the partner angle? Or maybe a love letter from a fan girl? I guess this is a little bit of all of it.
When I saw Ashwins PC, I thought of small and big moments. Many many memories over the last 13-14 years. The big wins , the MOS awards, the quiet silence in our room after an intense game, the sound of the shower running for much longer than usual on some evenings post play , the scratch of pencil over paper as he scribbled thoughts down, the constant streaming of footage videos when he is making a game plan, the calm of meditative breathing before leaving for each game, certain songs playing on repeat while he unwinds.. The times we weeped in joy - after the CT final, after the MCG win, after the Sydney draw, The Gabba win, after making a comeback in T20s…the times we sat in silence and the times when we had our hearts broken.
"Dear Ashwin, from not knowing how to put a kit bag together to following you to stadiums all over the world, rooting for you, watching you and learning from you, it has been an absolute pleasure. The world you introduced me to gave me the privilege to watch and enjoy a sport that I love from close quarters. It also showed me how much passion, hardwork and discipline is needed to keep your head above water. And sometimes even that is not enough. I remember us talking about why you, R Ashwin, had to do all of this and a lot more to even stay relevant in the scheme of things.
"How awards, the best of stats, the POMs, the accolades, the records didn’t matter if you didn’t sharpen your skill sets constantly and did not put in the work. Sometimes, nothing is enough. As you end your wonderful international run, I only want to tell you that it’s all good.It is all going to be good.It is time to set the burden of being you down. Live life on your terms, make space for those extra calories, make time for your family, make time to do absolutely nothing, share memes all day, create a new bowling variation, bug our kids out of their minds. Just do it all."
It is worth mentioning that Ravichandran Ashwin and Prithi Narayanan attended the same school in Chennai, Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan. The two even attended the same college, which brought them closer.
The couple got engaged in 2011 and tied the knot the same year on November 13. Prithvi has been Ashwin's pillar of support throughout his career and was often seen rooting for him from the stands.
"Tamil Nadu's greatest ever cricketer" - Movie star Kamal Hasan hails Ravichandran Ashwin's stellar career
Ravichandran Ashwin earned massive praise from fans and experts following his retirement from international cricket. The applause wasn't just limited to the cricket fraternity as several film personalities also hailed the wily spinner's decorated career.
Taking to the microblogging platform X, ace actor Kamal Hasan suggested that Ashwin is one of the best spinners to have played the sport. Calling the Chennai-based player the 'Tamil Nadu's greatest ever cricketer', he wrote:
"You leave behind a legacy as one of the finest spinners the world has ever seen and Tamil Nadu’s greatest ever cricketer, @ashwinravi99. Your fierce competitive spirit and pure cricketing intelligence, unmatched in the modern game, are etched forever in the hearts of cricket lovers. Well done and best wishes for your next chapter."
The champion spinner finished his career with 765 wickets across formats, the second most by an Indian. He also made a significant impact with the bat in Test cricket, hitting six centuries and 14 fifties.