Ravichandran Ashwin is gearing up for a gruelling 10-Test swing for the national team, beginning with a home series against Bangladesh. But as he walks through the twilight of his career decorated with over 500 Test wickets, the 37-year-old offspinner has little doubt that someone in the future will come and do better than him.
Talking about evolution during a chat with veteran cricket journalist Vimal Kumar on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said he is taking the legacy of Indian spinners forward from where the legends like Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh left it.
“Mai lucky hu (I am lucky). What (legacy) Anil bhai and Harbhajan left, I have learnt from that. Whatever I am doing today is because of them, and what I am doing is part of the journey,” said a philosophical Ashwin, who has taken 516 wickets so far in 100 Tests.
Continuing to talk about an evolving world, Ashwin cited an example from the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“When people say they (cricketers) are making so much in the IPL, this and that, mai soch kar hasta hu (I laugh thinking about it). If the IPL happens in 2040, will the salary be the same as it is today?” he asked.
“The world will stride forward,” said Ashwin, who is currently the number one Test all-rounder in the ICC rankings and has scored five Test centuries.
“I will leave somewhere, and someone else will move forward. It’s like a 400m relay race….someone will run 100m and someone else another 100m. So it is an evolution and people will be better. And I am 100 percent sure that someone better or even amazing than me will come.”
Talking about evolution during a chat with veteran cricket journalist Vimal Kumar on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said he is taking the legacy of Indian spinners forward from where the legends like Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh left it.
“Mai lucky hu (I am lucky). What (legacy) Anil bhai and Harbhajan left, I have learnt from that. Whatever I am doing today is because of them, and what I am doing is part of the journey,” said a philosophical Ashwin, who has taken 516 wickets so far in 100 Tests.
Continuing to talk about an evolving world, Ashwin cited an example from the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“When people say they (cricketers) are making so much in the IPL, this and that, mai soch kar hasta hu (I laugh thinking about it). If the IPL happens in 2040, will the salary be the same as it is today?” he asked.
“The world will stride forward,” said Ashwin, who is currently the number one Test all-rounder in the ICC rankings and has scored five Test centuries.
“I will leave somewhere, and someone else will move forward. It’s like a 400m relay race….someone will run 100m and someone else another 100m. So it is an evolution and people will be better. And I am 100 percent sure that someone better or even amazing than me will come.”
