India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed that his goal as a young cricketer was to gain the approval of MS Dhoni. Although one of the finest bowlers of his generation now with over 516 Test wickets, at one stage, Ashwin was a young player in the Chennai Super Kings squad who was yet to get a chance. In a launch event of his new book ‘I Have the Streets – A Kutti Cricket Story’, Ashwin said that it had taken him till 2009 to gain Dhoni’s attention.
Despite being picked by Chennai Super Kings in 2008, Ashwin said that Dhoni did not know of his existence in the inaugural IPL season.
“MS Dhoni didn’t even know someone like me existed in 2008. So, I made it my life goal, from 2009, to get the wicket of MS Dhoni,” Ashwin said.
“I bowled an unbelievable spell in the Challenger Trophy in Nagpur. MS struggled throughout the spell. Once, when he tried to play, the ball went through the gates. I got him out in the final,” Ashwin reminisced.
“From then on, MS Dhoni saw me as someone with skill, and the relationship matured,” he said.
While playing just two games in IPL 2009, Ashwin would turn into a key cog in CSK’s lineup from 2010, helping the franchise to their first IPL title.
“If MS decides a horse is not ready to race, he won’t use you. He needs to know you’re a horse. But once he knows you’re a horse, he will look past you only when you feel like giving up,” said Ashwin.
“That is MS Dhoni. He believes in you,” he said.
Ashwin joined India Cements in early June, and is reportedly set to take charge of the Chennai Super Kings High Performance Centre. This move also leaves the door open for Ashwin’s return to CSK next season, with the mega auction coming up before IPL 2025.
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