Ashwin Opens Up About Captaincy Learnings and RR Comeback Journey

Ashwin was speaking on 'The Ravichandran Ashwin Experience' on JioHotstar. Ashwin captained PBKS in his two-season run with the franchise, winning 12 out of his 28 matches and losing 16. While Ashwin could not guide his team to the playoffs, he reflected on the "immense learning" the experience gave him as he was making a rise on the international level.

"When Punjab picked me in 2018, I knew I was moving on. My time had come to take on leadership. As an international cricketer, I had progressed; I was the ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2016. As a person, you look for growth. Even around the 2014 season, during retention talks, a couple of teams had approached me about leading them, but I could not take that opportunity then. Rajasthan and Punjab both had the intent of making me Captain. I went to Punjab. I spent two years there and honestly, gave it everything," he said.

Ashwin said that he could not build a team around him and he failed to "make that team his own". He also spoke on getting several stars to the team with the future in mind, especially Prabhsimran Singh and Arshdeep Singh, who have been doing really well for PBKS in recent years.

"In the second year, things were a bit up and down, but we brought in players like Prabhsimran (Singh), Arshdeep Singh and Nicholas Pooran with the future in mind. I may not have achieved much as a Captain, but the learnings were immense," he added.

Ashwin said that his stint with Punjab made him "stronger and more capable" and he learnt more about building relationships, an important quality for someone who is in a leadership position, a captain or coach.

"I went to Punjab in 2018, and then to Delhi. I had a good time at Delhi as well, but Punjab made me stronger and more capable. I think I became a better cricketer after 2020 because of that phase. I learned a lot about building relationships, something that is essential if you want to be a leader, a captain, or a Coach. It is about making a player feel like a million dollars, and I learned that in Punjab," he said.

Ashwin said that he spent three years in RR from 2022-24, and it was his fine stints with the franchise which helped him get a comeback to the Indian T20I team ahead of the T20 World Cup that year. He also hailed RR's utilisation of him, calling it "first class". But not winning a trophy with them still lingers as a regret.

"COVID struck, but then RR bid for me. I spent three years there, and that stint helped me make a comeback to the Indian team. The way RR utilised me was first-class, and I enjoyed my cricket there like nowhere else, not even during my Under-19 or Under-22 days with Tamil Nadu. Those three years at RR were special. My only small regret is that I could not win a title with RR. We reached a final and a Qualifier 2 but could not go all the way. One year, we came close to qualifying but missed out. That was one small regret," he signed off.

Ashwin took 35 wickets in 45 matches for RR at an average of 38.22, with best figures of 3/17. He was also a useful presence with the bat, with 344 runs in 31 innings at an average of 18.10 and a strike rate of over 132, with a fifty to his name.

- ANI