Ravichandran Ashwin’s pain at long intervals, said- It was very difficult to stay away from cricket

Ravichandran Ashwin, who was playing the first Test since December last year, said that it was so difficult for him to stay away from international cricket in the last ten months that he had stopped watching the game. Ashwin, who has been playing only Test cricket for India since July 2017, played the Adelaide Test against Australia from December 6 to 10. Since then, he has not been in the Indian team for one of the 11 Tests. He said, ‘It was very difficult for me to stay away from cricket. I made up for it by playing all kinds of matches. I played county cricket in Nottinghamshire and also played TNPL matches. Ashwin, who took five wickets in the first Test against South Africa, said, “Every time I watched cricket on TV, I felt that I had to play.”

He said, ‘I was out and it is natural to have such an experience. I just wanted to play. This phase comes in everyone’s career but it is not the end. I tried different things in my life. Regarding fitness issues, he said, ‘As far as the injury is concerned, the medical staff is there to take care of it. I suddenly felt that I am not playing in any format. I was playing 12 months in a row and this could have happened due to increased workload.  He said about the return, ‘I am happy to return. There is nothing better for the country than taking five wickets in an innings. This place is special for me but I also took five wickets in Nottingham. Both are more than one.