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Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his gratitude to former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni for bringing him back to the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winning franchise again and talked about how well the Captain Cool utilised him with new ball during his early days in the cash-rich league.
Ashwin was speaking at the launch event of a book titled Leo -- The Untold Story of Chennai Super Kings, written by senior advocate and former Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) vice-president PS Raman. The book launch on Sunday, was attended by CSK star MS Dhoni and two vital parts of the coaching set-up, its ex-stars Stephen Fleming and Mike Hussey. Ashwin was also felicitated at the event by Kris Srikkanth, the ex-Indian batter. Speaking at the event, Ashwin recalled that after playing two games in IPL 2009 in South Africa, Dhoni, then CSK skipper, told him on Facebook that he will be utilised well in the coming season. "I went in and bizarre, Dhoni got injured and I lost my form for 2-3 games too. When we both made our comebacks, I got my first initiation of bowling with the new ball against Mumbai Indians (MI) in front of Sachin Tendulkar. Dhoni gave me the new ball, shrugged his shoulders and left. He does not give you many words, but he asked me if I could get Kieron Pollard out (while defending 166 for CSK). As luck would have it, Pollard skied one in the air on one of my deliveries and Thilan Thushara, Murali Vijay were involved in one of the most bizarre catches ever," recalled Ashwin. Ashwin acknowledged the role of luck in his cricketing career and people's lives. He also revealed that he wanted Dhoni to present him a memento during his 100th Test against England at Dharamsala last year, which he wanted to be his last. "MS could not make it. He gave a much better gift of having me come back here. So thank you to Dhoni," he added. Former Indian cricketer Srikkanth also hailed Dhoni for identifying Ashwin's talents and turning him into a bowler who would do well in all formats of the game. He hailed Ashwin's journey from being a young cricketer in Tamil Nadu to playing over 100 Tests and picking up over 500 Test scalps for India. "The man who identified him is Dhoni. Ashwin has evolved from T20 to ODIs to Test in an amazing manner. He is not only a good bowler, but also a great batter. Also Chris Gayle, who used to hit everyone for sixes, his legs started shaking while facing Ashwin," he added. Srikkanth welcomed Ashwin, the "prodigal son" home to CSK ahead of the 2025 season. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan also recalled about Ashwin, "When we first met Ashwin, he was playing Ranji for Tamil Nadu in the early 2000s (he made his first-class debut in 2006). I was involved in TNCA administration back then. We formed a great bond of friendship during the 2009 IPL in South Africa". Chennai Super Kings, the five-time IPL champions, will kickstart their campaign against arch-rivals and five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) at the home arena of Chepauk Stadium on March 23.
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