Ravichandran Ashwin - a Vaathi of art and possibly Tamil Nadu’s greatest cricketer

On 13th January 2021 - Tamil Nadu witnessed its first-ever blockbuster after a long pause due to COVID-19, as Vijay’s Master was all over the theatre screens. It even led to multiple people mimicking the actor, humming the lyrics and chastening the charisma. 

Test cricket was returning after a long time, India had just lost their first Test at the venue, there were bound to be a few nervous figures but as soon as Rohit took ascendancy, the crowd hopped on. More than anything, the crowd knew what the outcome would be, or more importantly, who would dictate the outcome. It wasn’t all about the Indian team, remember? It was more, the crowd wanted to applaud, ricochet the sound into the ground and lift the morale of the team. 

There hasn’t ever been a cricketer that the city has seen that clever, emerging out of the shadows, talking the language they have, since WV Raman. They haven’t seen anyone more entertaining than Ashwin and his bowling. They haven’t seen much action in the city, since Vijay’s Master. So when India were indeed playing, there had to be celebrations right? 

At least in this part of Chennai, away from Chepauk, in West Mambalam, where Ashwin had spent some time of his life, the fans were glued to their television screens, some even wanting the off-spinner’s name to be on the stands of the age-old stadium. Having a name on the stand is not just a sign of approval, it is a sign of appreciation for all the dedication that the cricketer has indeed put for the state and the country. Some felt, at the age of 34, Ashwin already deserved it and the others were in unison. 

When the talks of the pitch upped the ante, Ashwin came out with the bat, albeit with a nice first-innings lead and played a masterful innings. At no point did he look uncomfortable and at no point, did he look perturbed. He knew that even at his worst point, the Chennai crowd were there, holding him up, this wasn’t going to be that bad. The crowd gave the leap of confidence back, cheering for every single of his run. There was even a time when Ashwin received more applause than Kohli.

The man who not only redefined spin bowling, all-rounder status or even cricket in the country, had redefined the expectations of the crowd. 

As he walked into the ground, after spending just a few overs off the field, the crowd knew and cheered, he took the new ball and then picked up the wicket of Rory Burns. England were three down, Ashwin needed four more to strike a different historical chord. He ended up with two more but that didn’t bend or break the crowd. They were waiting, still in packs, even after the game had ended, even bearing the sun at its rawest form. 

“As an eight year old I have come here on these very stands to watch cricket. I have played four Test matches here and easily this is the most special. I get a hero's feeling here playing cricket in Covid times, and this knowledgeable crowd came out in big numbers,” he uttered in Tamil, in acknowledgement of the crowd, who gathered in numbers. He was the man of the match but for Tamil Nadu and the fans that crowded, he was not just the man of the match. 

For them, it was Ravichandran Ashwin, the vaathi, raiding the English team, for not just becoming a master of his own but to transform himself into one of Tamil Nadu’s greatest cricketers, possibly the greatest ever seen. As a group of spectators even hummed, Vaathi’s raid was here. Let me tell you a Kutti story, Ashwin is not just a master of the art, he also is one of Tamil Nadu’s greatest cricketers, ever!