Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
‘Realised he messed up’: Ashwin’s childhood friend, ex-India player Mukund recalls hilarious mishap in U-12 tournament
Abhinav Mukund recalled a hilarious story, which involved childhood friend Ravichandran Ashwin in an Under-12 tournament.
Rain came to India’s rescue on Wednesday as the visitors managed to draw the third Test match against Australia, in Brisbane. But it wasn’t enough as a bombshell development was upcoming, in the guise of Ravichandran Ashwin. The 38-year-old joined captain Rohit Sharma during the post-match press conference and announced his immediate retirement from international cricket.
The veteran’s announcement comes midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, with two more fixtures remaining. Ashwin was benched for the opening Test in Perth, which India won. He returned to the squad in the second Test, after captain Rohit’s return from paternity leave, but India crashed to a defeat. Then he was once again dropped for the Brisbane Test, which ended in a draw.
Also Read: 'I wouldn't have let him go like that': Kapil Dev baffled, says he would've ensured Ashwin retired with 'lot of respect'
Social media went into a state of frenzy after his announcement as fans, current and former players and experts paid their tributes. Former India cricketer Abhinav Mukund also joined the bandwagon and wrote a special feature for Ashwin on ESPNCricinfo. Mukund is someone who has experienced Ashwin’s growth from close quarters since their age-group cricket days in Chennai.
How R Ashwin ‘messed up’ during a U-12 tournament
Hailing Ashwin in his column, Mukund also revealed a hilarious childhood story, which involved Ashwin during an under-12 tournament. “I didn't pay much heed to Ash then. We were all just regular kids playing cricket because we loved it. The next time I saw him was at an Under-12 tournament in his school. He was injured and was, in fact, the scorer when I made my first-ever hundred in school cricket,” he recounted.
“It is a vivid memory because I celebrated once on 90-odd and then I heard applause about ten or so runs later. It was then I realised the scorer had messed up the numbers. My team-mates were relieved I'd completed my hundred and did not throw it away after the first celebration.
He added, “Ashwin went to a school that was known to produce academically accomplished students. I thought at the time that he was done playing the sport because of his injury and was now focusing on his studies. Little did I know! Mostly I remember thinking, "Couldn't he have scored properly?”
Ashwin’s announcement brings an end to a legendary international career. Regarded by many as one of the greatest cricketers in history, he was also part of the Indian team that won the 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. He reportedly started playing cricket at the age of nine and was coached by Chandrasekar Rao during the early part of his career. He has already left Australia and landed in Chennai. He will be next seen in action in IPL 2025 for CSK.
