CHENNAI: Former India and Tamil Nadu all-rounder R Ashwin recalled a critical article on him written by ex-India player Sanjay Manjrekar in his early days saying how he found something to learn from it.
Manjrekar is not new to creating polarising opinions, especially since turning a broadcaster. This call back, however, comes as a positive reference about one of his columns during Ashwin's first few years in Test cricket. The Mumbaikar had criticised Ashwin's performance in his column after the off-spinner took only nine wickets in three Tests Down Under at a very poor average of 62 runs per scalp during the 2011-12 series. India lost that series 0-4.
"After my first Australia tour, Sanjay Manjrekar wrote a long article. When I was returning, I read the whole thing, and after reading it, I got really angry. I actually felt bad. Anger was just a reaction, but I felt really bad. But after that, I slept on the flight and let it go. Back then, I didn't talk to Sanjay much," Ashwin recalled in a chat on 'Jio Hotstar'.
"...after coming back home, I worked really hard for the next four years. I wasn't a gifted athlete. I worked very hard, and in 2015, he wrote another article saying that I was bowling so well now and that he wanted me to keep performing like that."
This prompted the TN all-rounder to get hold of the Mumbaikar's contact and talk to him. "Then I asked for his number and messaged him that I had felt bad back then, but his article came to me like a guru and changed my life. Because there was substance in what he said. So, if I ever get criticised, I just think about whether there's something to learn from it. If I feel there's something to learn, I take it."