"It is built on cricket, to facilitate my career...": Ashwin opens up on role of family in journey towards 100th Test

India and England will lock horns in the fifth and final Test of the series in Dharamshala from Thursday, which will be Ashwin's 100th Test as well. In 99 Tests so far, Ashwin has taken 507 wickets at an average of 23.91, including 35 five-wicket hauls, with the best bowling figures of 7/59. Combine it with his tally of 3,309 runs in 140 innings at an average of 26.14, with five centuries and 14 fifties and he is one of the most successful all-rounders of the modern era.

As he prepares to play his 100th Test match against England at Dharamshala, Indian veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin reflected on his family's role in his cricketing journey, saying that the ride towards the century of Tests has been a rollercoaster-like for them, but the entire family is built on cricket and to facilitate his career. India and England will lock horns in the fifth and final Test of the series in Dharamshala from Thursday, which will be Ashwin's 100th Test as well. In 99 Tests so far, Ashwin has taken 507 wickets at an average of 23.91, including 35 five-wicket hauls, with the best bowling figures of 7/59. Combine it with his tally of 3,309 runs in 140 innings at an average of 26.14, with five centuries and 14 fifties and he is one of the most successful all-rounders of the modern era.

Talking to ESPNCricinfo's The Cricket Monthly magazine, Ashwin said that when he left the third Rajkot Test midway due to his mother's hospitalisation, his mother was slipping in and out of consciousness and on meeting him, she asked him to go back and play the Test match. Ashwin said that his family is built on cricket and they have felicitated his career. He said that the ride has not been an easy one for his parents, his wife, grandparents, aunt etc, who have all helped him in different ways at different stages of his career.

"When I landed and got to the hospital (After leaving the third Rajkot Test), my mom was slipping in and out of consciousness, and the first thing she asked me was, 'Why did you come?' The next time she was conscious, she said, "I think you should go back because the Test match is happening," said Ashwin. "The entire family is built on cricket and to facilitate my career. It has not been easy. It has been very hard on them. It has been a big rollercoaster for them - going through the emotions and ups and downs that I myself do. I am sure most parents and families are like that, but my parents' lives are even more intertwined with my cricket. I mean, I am in the second half of my thirties and my dad still watches a game like he would watch my first international game. It means a lot to them. Compared to what it means to them, it definitely means less to me."

"Anything and everything around what I have to do, or what my cricket is like, it is very seamlessly attached to them. They have eliminated anything that comes in the way of my cricket. That has been the sole purpose of their lives ever since I can remember." Ashwin recalled that how he used to stay in a joint family and how his grandfather used to bring him his cricketing equipment and fulfil his nutritional demands in the absence of his working parents. He also highlighted the role of his "caretaker" aunt. The all-rounder also opened up on how his father would help him with his academics and arrange all educational sources and stuff for him largely by himself so that his son could focus on his game.

Ashwin also opened up on his marriage with Prithi, who he said had no idea about what it was like to live out a life as a cricketer. But she gave him immense support and balance and the all-rounder largely credited his post-COVID-19 career to her. "It is very difficult to find a family like me, my dad and mom. I have forgotten to add two other members: my grandfather and my aunt. We used to live in a joint family. For about eight years, my granddad used to bring my cricket kit, my cricket clothes, milk and all and just stand outside the ground or spread a newspaper and sit on the ground, and make sure that everything was going right, because both my parents were working. If I came back home, my aunt would be the caretaker. She would provide what I needed," said Ashwin.

"It was as if I was living the dream my dad wanted to achieve. Imagine somebody wanted to become a cricketer [but does not]. He gets married, he has a son. And he wants to live the dream through his son, and he does everything from teaching me, to taking notes from my classmates, to taking me to private tuitions to make sure I play the maximum possible amount of cricket while still finishing my education. And this lady coming from some other hamlet says, "I support you because you could not become a cricketer. Let us support our son to become a cricketer. Let us work our backsides off." And the father-in-law supports it, and then the sister-in-law supports it." "And then I marry someone and she has no clue what this lifestyle is all about. Prithi had no clue what my life was like. She just jumped on the rollercoaster. And I think it hit her really hard for the first three years. She could not understand how this house functioned. Over the last four or five years of cricket, since Covid, I can safely say - before that it was my dad and mum - whatever cricket I have played, it is largely because of Prithi. She has brought a beautiful balance into our lives," he concluded.

Ashwin opened up on how his wife and kids tell him stories of them watching him play from "same place every time" as if it was a superstition. He also talked about some unusual superstitions that his father still believes in, just in order to see his son picking up wickets. He also said that he has very little discussions on cricket with hs family, but he always watches cricket with them whenever he gets to do so. "Over the last few years, Prithi and the kids have told me a few stories. How they watch the match from the same place every time. How if, say, I picked up wickets and Dad is talking to someone on the phone, he will make sure he finds the same person to talk to on the phone the next time," said Ashwin.

"I definitely do believe my exposure to the rest of the world has kind of opened me up a lot more. Every time I come back home, I keep telling them, 'I think you should switch off from me. You should do a lot more other things.' We discuss very little about the game, but we watch the game together. When I'm home and some other match is happening, we watch it together," he added. Ashwin talked about how since his last 50 Tests, he has been following a very strict sleep schedule. Disruption of this schedule makes him feel "awful" and without energy, he added. The all-rounder also opened up on struggles with his diet as he is lactose-intolerant and gluten-intolerant.

"The last 50 Test matches, I have gone to sleep at nine o'clock almost every day. My dinner is done by seven, I sleep by nine. If I do not sleep by nine and wake up by six, I feel awful when playing the next day. I just don't have the same amount of energy. And I have had my fair share of injuries and a few niggles here and there. So those require maintenance," said Ashwin. "If I am on a Test tour, I have the same food morning, afternoon, evening for over 20 days before I take a break. Because I am lactose-intolerant and gluten-intolerant, I have to literally live on the same food. If I have even a little bit of lactose in the evening or a little bit of gluten, I am unwell through the next day. I do not even think these are sacrifices because this is what I trade for what I love," he added.

India and England will lock horns in the fifth and final Test of the series in Dharamshala from Thursday. India has won the series 3-1, handing England their first series loss under the leadership of Stokes and coach McCullum. At this point, England will be playing for their pride. Both sides still have World Test Championship points to gain in Dharamsala, even though the series has been decided. India is on top of the World Test Championship standings while England is eighth on the points table. Winning the match will earn a side 12 crucial points while a draw will earn them four points. (ANI)

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