"Ashwin did not follow things blindly, was his own man": Former India cricketer WV Raman

Former cricketer WV Raman turned back the clock and reminisced about the early days of one of India's decorated spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin, 38, continues to age like a fine wine and rewrite history books in the twilight phase of his career. He rose through the ranks and earned a place for himself after making his India debut in 2010. Before leaving an everlasting impression on the global stage, Ashwin toiled hard in the domestic setup and made a name for himself by being his "own man."

Raman, who closely monitored Ashwin playing for Tamil Nadu as head coach, lavished praise on the seasoned star for his attitude of not following things blindly. "In our country, there is a culture that encourages people, who say good morning or good evening. The players who do this get a lot of encouragement, and the ones who do not, do not get the same level of support. If a player speaks boldly, they are discouraged. So, in that sense, Ashwin did not follow things blindly and was his own man," Raman said on the Tamil Cricket Podcast - "Cricket Petta" launched by Sony Sports Network.

Arun Karthik, who played alongside Ashwin at the junior level, revealed that Ashwin played as an opening batter in the U-17s. But he ended up switching to bowling after his stint as a batter did not go well in the U-19. "We played together at the Junior level. He was an opening batter. He played the Under 17s as a batter, and in the Under 19s, his batting did not do too well.

Then he switched to bowling in a serious way and did really well. Arun said about Ashwin's early days. Since entering the senior setup, Ashwin has claimed 761 international wickets in 285 matches. But out of all three formats, Test cricket has been his forte. In the longest format of cricket, the seasoned offspinner has 533 scalps in 104 matches, averaging 23.87. (ANI)