IND vs SL: Very Sweet Of Kapil Paaji, He Actually Sent A Bouquet Home To Congratulate Me - Ravichandran Ashwin

Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin revealed that former cricketer, Kapil Dev, sent him a bouquet with a hand-written note to congratulate him for crossing Kapil’s tally of 434 wickets in Tests during the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Ashwin is now the second-highest wicket-taker among Indians in Tests, only behind Anil Kumble’s tally of 619 wickets. There are still a few years of cricket left in the 35-year-old and he will be hoping to breach the 500-wicket mark. Speaking about his inspiration in the first place, Ashwin remembered the players of the olden days.

“Very sweet of Kapil paaji. He has actually sent a bouquet home. He has also sent a small hand-written note congratulating me for crossing him.

“But you know, sometimes people do forget that people like Kapil Dev, people like Sachin Tendulkar, people like Anil Kumble, people like Harbhajan Singh – those who have done incredible things in the past are one the reasons why I am sitting here today.”

“We have to be deeply indebted to these people and at the same time, we have to be very humble in what we are doing. I am extremely pleased and full of gratitude for all those people before me,” Ashwin told in a video shared by the BCCI.

“If I call this a dream, I’d be lying I think” – Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin further mentioned that he never dreamt of playing for India in the first place, let alone become one of the most successful bowlers from the country. He recollected watching cricket in his early years alongside his dad.

“If I call this a dream, I’d be lying I think. For me, getting this number of wickets was never even a part of my bucket list. I had put up a post on Instagram yesterday. Way back in 1994, I clearly remember I was sitting with my dad.”

“My dad used to have a cane chair where I would sit and watch the game. We were watching and he was so keen. There were neighbours around and the neighbours had gathered to watch the game and I had no idea what they were looking forward to. I then realised that my father was cheering Kapil Dev on to go past Sir Richard Hadlee,” Ashwin added.

Ashwin has a chance to become the 8th most successful bowler in Tests if he can go past Dale Steyn’s tally of 439 wickets.

Also Read – ‘It Might Have Been A Slip Of Tongue’: Rashid Latif On Rohit Sharma Calling Ravichandran Ashwin All-Time Great