“I’ve even said I’ll play ahead of Muralitharan,” – R Ashwin makes stunning claim after retiring from IPL

R Ashwin said that he had the belief in himself to make his name at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during his first stint at the franchise, even when he was competing with the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan for a spot in the playing XI.

Ashwin had retired from international cricket during the Border-Gavaskar series. On Wednesday, August 27, the Tamil Nadu off-spinner announced his retirement from Indian cricket and will now be looking for opportunities to play in leagues around the world.

Ashwin recently revealed how much he likes silencing his naysayers. The experienced campaigner recalled how people doubted him when he joined CSK because they felt that he would fail to make a mark in the presence of star off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. However, the 38-year-old managed to hold his own and made his presence felt.

“Had anyone said I would achieve so much at the start of my career, I would have been surprised. Yet, when you first try to make it big, the world will constantly oppose it, saying ‘He’s an overthinker, over ambitious and too big to fit in the glove’. I’ve heard many such about myself. However, if I am not ambitious about my own life, who will be?” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“Even when I played for CSK, Muttiah Muralitharan was the off-spinner. When he was picked, many told me ‘There is no way two off-spinners will play’. Unfortunately, I have this problem where I wanted to prove people wrong by trying to respond, ‘I’ll make them play two off-spinners’. I see that as my confidence. I’ve even said I’ll play ahead of Muralitharan. That’s not me belittling Muralitharan. It’s just me trying to get to his level,” Ashwin added.

Ashwin finished his international career with 765 wickets from 287 international appearances. Meanwhile, in the IPL, he took 187 wickets in 220 matches. Apart from his remarkable bowling records across formats, Ashwin scored six centuries in Test cricket.