Ravi Ashwin is slowly living up to his name of being one of the best off-spinners of Team India in recent years. The 29-year-old lanky, right-arm, off-break bowler from Chennai won the man of the series in the recently-concluded Test match series between India and South Africa.
Ashwin, who bagged 12 wickets in the fourth and the final Test match in Nagpur, revealed that putting on a good display at the cricket pitch despite knowing that the people back at his hometown were suffering due to the devastating floods, was a bit difficult for him.
"Frankly my mind was numb [knowing about what was happening in Chennai]. I couldn't believe it was happening," Ashwin, who also notched the second spot in the ICC rankings for Test bowlers, for the first time in his career, told The Times of India.
The cricketer, who is currently playing for Tamil Nadu in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy in Hyderabad, has said that he, along with his Team India teammates, have vouchsafed their support towards the victims of the Chennai floods.
"All my team members have supported Chennai. They were all so worried about my family too and would keep asking about them," Ashwin continued. "As far as my support for Chennai goes, my game in Vijay Hazare trophy is dedicated to Chennai and its people. Till now, I haven't gone home. And I don't believe in doing something immediately for mere popularity."
"A few days down the line when the frenzy settles down, I will help those who have lost their livelihood by creating job opportunities for them," the 2014 Arjuna Award winner added.
Ashwin, who will be playing for either Pune or Rajkot in IPL 2016, also saluted the spirit of Chennai. "The way my people stood tall and supported one another fighting for hours in the maddening water, lending a helping hand to children, women and the elderly, gladdened my soul. That spirit of the city is indefatigable. I'm really proud to be a Chennaite."
