This award came as a complete surprise to me, says R Ashwin

It was double dhamaka for Indian off-spinner R Ashwin as the no.1 Test bowler won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for being named the ICC Cricketer of the Year. Ashwin was also given the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award for his performance in the longest format.

In an interview with BCCI.tv, Ashwin said it was an absolute pleasure to be awarded this honour and thanked his family, teammates and everyone who were responsible for his success.

Ashwin stated, “It was an absolute pleasure to be awarded this great honour. There are a lot of people to thank for this incredible achievement. It’s been a great couple of years, but this year is even more special. What is very noticeable is the way I have batted and bowled but what’s more important as far as I am concerned is the number of people that have contributed to my success. Firstly, I would like to thank my family, my wife and a special mention to my daughter. It’s been a great ride for the entire family. They are all closely associated with me. The game takes a toll on everybody at home and it is not that easy. I would like to dedicate this award to my family. I would also like to thank the ICC and most importantly my teammates.”

In the 12-month period between 14 September 2015 and 20 September 2016, Ashwin took 48 Test wickets in 8 matches at an average of 15.39 and in the limited overs format, the Indian offie picked 3 wickets in 3 matches at an average of 47.66. In the T20I format, Ashwin scalped 25 wickets in 18 matches with an economy of just 6.42. Apart from the 48 wickets he took, he also scored 336 Test runs in 9 innings at an average of 42.

Ashwin then spoke about the transition that the Indian team had to go through after former skipper MS Dhoni retired from Tests. The 30-year-old went on to dedicate the award to all his teammates and coaches. Ashwin also remained optimistic about the challenges the Indian cricket team would face in the future.

"We had a great transition ever since MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket in 2014. A young captain has taken over and we fell on the right track. We have a great bunch of boys now and I would like to dedicate this to the entire team and the support staff including all the coaches - Sanjay Bangar, R Sridhar, Anil Kumble and also Ravi Shastri. But, what’s special about this as far as I am concerned is what we have done as a team. What we achieved as a bunch was significant over the last 18 months. I am very optimistic about what lies in front of us. We are a unit that constantly looks to improve and we have got great barriers to scale," Ashwin said.

Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid motivated me to pursue cricket: R Ashwin

When asked about whether he was expecting this award, Ashwin said it came as a complete surprise to him and he even asked his family to keep it under the wraps. The offie became just the third Indian after Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid to win this award.

"This award came as a complete surprise to me. I was not looking forward to it and when the news came to me, it was delightful. I also told my family to keep it under the wraps. I never went after this particular achievement or an award because it’s not something that’s at the top of your head. I am extremely humbled because a couple of names that have won this award- Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar are no ordinary people. They are stalwarts and brand ambassadors of the game and these two individuals were instrumental in me becoming a cricketer. They motivated me to pursue cricket. If not for them, I would have ended up becoming an Engineer," he added.

According to Ashwin, his hunger, preparation and nature to stay humble at such moments are the reasons why he is at the top. He also added that his celebration after taking a fifer or scoring loads of runs is to have a cup of tea or coffee with his family.

On the secret behind his success, Ashwin said, “my hunger, my preparation and also the fact that I stay humble through my achievements. Once I get a fifer or score runs on a particular day, I will try to forget it that particular day. My maximum celebration is going back home and having a cup of tea or coffee with my family and trying to re-focus for the next day.”

Getting dropped from the playing XI for the Adelaide Test in 2014 was what eventually motivated the Chennai spinner.

“It’s tough to point out one particular performance and say that was the most instrumental one. I would like to go a long way back to that particular moment at Adelaide where I was left out of the Test because I thought I would start off in that series after playing a couple of Tests in England but it didn’t happen. It was a big blow to my pride as a cricketer. It was when I took Bharath Arun aside, sat with him and worked on a lot of things and ever since, things have flowed like music,“ he concluded.

Watch Ashwin’s interview here