“I couldn’t even imagine the gesture from Rohit” : Ashwin reveals Rohit Sharma’s ‘unbelievable’ gesture during mother health
India’s off-spinner R Ashwin recently shared his emotional journey during the Rajkot Test against England, where he faced a roller-coaster of emotions. After achieving the milestone of 500 wickets in Test cricket, Ashwin received the devastating news that his mother had fallen ill. Overwhelmed with emotions, Ashwin admitted to feeling numb upon hearing the news, and struggled to contain his tears. He credited his teammates, particularly captain Rohit Sharma and BCCI secretary Jay Shah, for their support in facilitating his return home to be with his mother.
Ashwin’s ordeal began when he learned of his mother’s sudden illness during the second day’s play of the Rajkot Test. Despite reaching a significant career milestone, Ashwin’s joy was overshadowed by personal turmoil as his mother was admitted to a hospital in Chennai. Although he did not participate in the third day of the Test match, Ashwin later rejoined the team for the fourth day after traveling to Chennai on a chartered plane arranged by Cheteshwar Pujara.
Feeling helpless in the team hotel, Ashwin expressed gratitude towards Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid for their concern and support during this difficult time. Despite being torn between staying with the team and returning home, it was Rohit Sharma’s decisive encouragement that ultimately convinced Ashwin to prioritize his family. Rohit even arranged for a team physio to accompany Ashwin on his journey back to Chennai.
With the assistance of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ashwin’s wife, Prithi, arrangements were made to facilitate Ashwin’s return home to care for his mother. Despite the challenging circumstances, Ashwin managed to rejoin the team on Day 4 of the Test match and contributed by taking a wicket in the second innings. However, the intervening days were fraught with tension and anxiety as Ashwin navigated the delicate balance between his professional commitments and family responsibilities.
Ashwin on his YT channel revealed “Rohit and Rahul bhai came to my room. Rohit saw me thinking and he said ‘what are you thinking about? Just pack your bags and leave now’. He told me that he would try and arrange a charter flight for me,” he added.”A big thank you to Cheteshwar Pujara. He spoke to a lot of people and arranged for the charter flight. I didn’t know how I spent 2 hours in that flight back home.
“Our team physio Kamlesh is my good friend. What Rohit did was beautiful. Rohit asked Kamlesh to join me on my flight to Chennai. I told Rohit that Kamlesh is one of the two physios with the team and how he could send him with me when the team was playing a crucial Test.
“Rohit is like ‘That’s okay’. But I told Kamlesh to stay back with the team. However, when I went down to the lobby, Kamlesh and a security person were standing there.
“Rohit was calling Kamlesh and keeping a tab on me throughout the journey back home..”
“I was gobsmacked. I couldn’t even imagine the gesture from Rohit. If I were captain, I would ask anyone in that position to go home. There’s no second thought in that. But, to keep a constant tab on me, calling Kamlesh and asking him to accompany me. Unbelievable!
“I see an outstanding leader in Rohit Sharma. He is something special. For this kind heart, he has won so many titles, including 5 IPL titles. God doesn’t give easily. I hope Rohit achieves something even more big. I will pray to God for that