"A man who thinks about someone else’s well-being is a rarity" - Ravichandran Ashwin on Rohit Sharma's support during family emergency

Ravichandran Ashwin recently spoke about how Team India skipper Rohit Sharma supported him during the Rajkot Test against England when he was feeling low due to his mother's health.

Ashwin mentioned that while MS Dhoni also takes care of his players, Rohit takes extra care of the well-being of his teammates. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the senior off-spinner mentioned that his respect for the India skipper grew tremendously following the incident.

Ashwin said:

"In such a selfish society, a man who thinks about someone else’s well-being is a rarity. My respect for him grew tremendously after that. I already had my respect for him as a leader; he backs a player without question until the last moment. It isn’t an easy thing. Even Dhoni does that. But he takes 10 steps more. When it gets this personal, a player can give a life for him."

Lauding Rohit Sharma's leadership skills and suggesting that he deserves a lot of success because he has a good heart, Ashwin added:

"I just thought, even if I were a captain, I’d tell my players to go back home. No second thoughts about it. But will I be calling people to check up on him? No idea. Unbelievable. I am seeing an outstanding leader in Rohit Sharma. I’ve played with so many leaders and captains in all these years, but it is his good heart that has made him what he is today —someone with five IPL titles as equal to Dhoni. God doesn’t give it easy. He should get something bigger than all that, which God will give him."

Ravichandran Ashwin disclosed that Rohit asked the India team physio, who is also the off-spinner's close friend, to travel to Chennai with him.

"I didn’t know how those two hours on the flight went by," Ashwin continued. "Rohit did something else. Kamlesh, the team physio, is a very good friend of mine. Rohit told Kamlesh to fly with me to Chennai and be with me. He was one of the two physios on the team, and I convinced him to stay back here."

"When I went down, the security and Kamlesh were waiting. Kamlesh got a call from Rohit on our ride towards the airport, checking up on me and literally asking him to be with me during this tough time. It was 9.30 pm that night. I was just gobsmacked. I cannot even think about it. Because the two people there are the only ones that I could talk to here. What if nobody was there?" he added.

Ravichandran Ashwin did not take the field on Day 3 of the Rajkot Test and left for Chennai to be with his ailing mother, who collapsed after a headache. The seasoned campaigner rejoined the team on Day 4.

---

"Jay Shah asked me to be at the airport at 7 AM" - Ravichandran Ashwin says BCCI secretary arranged a charter flight for him

Ravichandran Ashwin further stated that when he wanted to return to Rajkot to rejoin the team, BCCI secretary Jay Shah arranged a charter flight for him.

He suggested that if he hadn't taken a charter flight, he would have had to travel for a full day to reach Rajkot. Ravichandran Ashwin continued:

"It takes a day to get to Rajkot from Chennai by flight. But the secretary, Jay Shah, asked me to be at the airport at 7 AM and arranged a flight for me. The flight reached there by 11 because it was pretty slow because of headwinds and tailwinds."

Ashwin also spoke about how Rohit Sharma also tried to arrange a charter flight for him when he had to reach Chennai.

"I didn’t know what to do. Rohit and Rahul Bhai came to my room, and Rohit literally asked me to stop thinking anymore and leave to be there with the family, and he was trying to arrange a charter flight for me," he revealed.

Ravichandran Ashwin shone with the ball throughout the five-match Test series against England. He also achieved special milestones as he played his 100th Test and completed 500 wickets in the format. With 26 scalps, he was the leading wicket-taker in the series.