The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) extended a special felicitation to veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Sunday, commemorating his remarkable achievements of completing a century of Test matches and joining the prestigious 500-wicket club in Test cricket. Ashwin accomplished these significant milestones during the Test series against England.
In recognition of his exceptional contributions to the sport, Ashwin was honored by the TNCA during a ceremony. The esteemed off-spinner, who became only the second Indian cricketer to surpass the 500-wicket mark, was also presented with a token of appreciation in the form of a monetary reward of Rs 1 crore.
Following the presentation ceremony, Ashwin penned a heartfelt note on social media extending his gratitude to his family, coaches and administrators of Tamil Nadu.
“Success is the sum total of all those people who teach you the right lessons, who teach you the harsh lessons and luck. Luck plays a pivotal role in everyone’s lives,but I believe we make our own luck,” Ashwin wrote on Instagram.
“My vehicle to luck has been the strong pillars at home my parents (Ravichandran & Chitra ) wife Prithi Narayanan kids and friends. @vickykethar , Buvanesh, Gopi @coach__sanch @srinivas._rajhamany Those pillars have ensured that luck has always touched me at the right times,” he added.
Ashwin also did not forget to
thank legendary India skipper MS Dhoni
for showing faith in him.“In 2008 I met all the greats (in CSK dressing room) Mathew Hayden and MS Dhoni. I sat through (IPL) 2008. I was a nobody then, where am I to play in a team that had Muttiah Muralitharan. I am indebted to Dhoni for the rest of my life for what he gave me. He gave me an opportunity with the new ball to go head on with Chris Gayle and 17 years later Anil bhai would be talking about the same episode,” the 37-year-old recalled.
Ashwin was signed by Chennai Super Kings in 2009 and he featured in two Indian Premier League (IPL) matches that season. Ashwin came up with a scintillating performance in the very next season as he scalped 13 wickets in IPL 2010.
The recently concluded five-match Test series against England turned out to be quite memorable for Ashwin. He
bagged his 36th five-wicket haul
against England in Dharamsala. With this, Ashwin completed the most number of five-wicket hauls in the history of Indian Test cricket. Having taken part in 100 Tests so far, Ashwin has 516 wickets under his belt.