“It’s been a blur of two days for me. I’ve been thinking about what I can say. Should I take this as a tribute to my all-time favorite cricketer? Maybe I’ll just take the companion angle? Or maybe a Love letter from a fan? I guess this is a little bit of everything.
“When I watched Ashwins PC, I thought of small and big moments. Many, many memories from the last 13 or 14 years. The big wins, the MOS awards, the silence in our room after an intense game, the sound of the shower. running for much longer than usual on some nights after the game, the stroke of pencil on paper as you scribble thoughts, the constant streaming of videos when you’re making a game plan, the calm of meditative breathing before setting off for each game, certain songs playing repeat while you relax… The times we cried with joy: after the CT final, after the MCG win, after the draw in Sydney, The Gabba win, after coming back in T20… the times we sat in silence and the times our hearts were broken.
“Dear Ashwin, from not knowing how to put together a kit bag to following you to stadiums around the world, supporting you, watching you and learning from you, it has been an absolute pleasure. The world you introduced me to gave me the privilege of seeing and enjoying a sport that I love closely. It also showed me how much passion, hard work and discipline it takes to keep your head above water. And sometimes even that is not enough, R Ashwin, had to do all this and much more to remain relevant. in the scheme of things. How the awards, the best stats, the POMs, the accolades and the records didn’t matter if you didn’t constantly hone your skills and put in the effort. Sometimes, nothing is enough. At the end of your wonderful international career, I just want to tell you that. everything is okay. Everything is going to be okay. It’s time to let go of the burden of being yourself, make room for those extra calories, make time for your family, take time to do absolutely nothing, share memes everything. the day, create a new variation of bowling, drive our children crazy. Just do it all.”
