The Encyclopedist

GH on Ravi Ashwin

John Arlott said of the great English seamer Maurice Tate that he did not play cricket; he lived in it. The same might be said of Ravi Ashwin, who has retired, somewhat unexpectedly, aged thirty-eight. He was born into the game - his parents Ravichandran and Chitra were obsessed with his career. He married the game - his wife now runs his cricket academy, Gen Next, and media company, Carrom Ball Media. He covers the world on his YouTube channel, and is a compulsive communicator on Instagram. In amongst all this, he has harvested 765 international wickets and nearly 5000 runs. Sometimes cricketers and their cricket are readily separable. Yet it was hard to imagine a conversation with this proud Madrasi that did not circle back to his passion and obsession. He did have other interests, I know. He liked movies, with a special affinity for the cult classic Chennai 600028. It is, of course, about cricket.