When a batter is striking at over 100 and you are down to 10 men, the captain is entitled to be upset. But Rohit Sharma is different. He had no problem with Ravichandran Ashwin pulling out of IND vs ENG Rajkot Test to visit his home for his ailing mother. Ashwin had his captain’s complete backing.
“When you lose your most experienced bowler in the middle of a Test match, it’s not easy. But everything aside, family comes first. And when we heard the news, there were no second thoughts in our minds that he should do what he felt was right,” Rohit Sharma said in the post-match press conference after India’s 434-run win in IND vs ENG Rajkot Test.
Why was Ashwin absent?
With England 207/2 and in a comfortable position, there was sudden panic. Ravichandran Ashwin had left the Test match for a family emergency.
Later, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla confirmed that he left for home to visit his mother who was in a medical emergency.
However, captain Rohit Sharma did not have a second thought. He left it to Ashwin to decide whether he wanted to leave or stay. Ashwin decided to leave. BCCI being the best boss, arranged a charter flight for Ashwin to head to Chennai.
“He wanted to be with the family, which was absolutely the right thing to do. It was good for him and to make a way and be a part of the team shows the character and the kind of person he is. We were happy to have him back,” Rohit Sharma said.
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But as any champion player would do, Ravichandran Ashwin returned the next day with concerns regarding his mother alleviated. And he returned to Nirajan Shah Stadium directly from the airport. He changed his clothes and took the field. Ashwin also bowled six overs, bagging a wicket in the process.
And while he was absent, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav all shared the burden.
They inflicted a collapse on Day 3 as England folded for 319 from 224/2.
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