Since the beginning of his career, Ashwin has been an ardent student of the game, always wanting to grow and add more tricks up his sleeve. WV Raman knows Ashwin better than most. He was the coach of Tamil Nadu when Ashwin made his First-Class debut. In an interaction with Hindustan Times, Raman spoke about what made Ashwin a special talent from the very start.

“It must have come as a surprise. Obviously, it was not something hinted at any time in the preceding weeks. However, what happens is that no cricketer can predict when it’s enough. That’s something nobody knows. Because one fine morning, you wake up, you suddenly decide that ‘enough is enough’. You can’t do the same thing again and again,” said Raman.

“If you just lose it mentally, that’s about it. And that’s something nobody can predict when it can happen.”

Contrary to the general belief that Ashwin burst onto the scene through his Indian Premier League (IPL) gig with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), but in truth, the off-spinner had been putting in the hard yards from years prior, when he made his First-Class debut in 2006 against Haryana at 20.

“You can never say that X will go on to do such and such thing or come out with such numbers when he calls it quits. You just say that he’s got talent, the attitude and all things aligning properly, you would think that X might have a very bright future. So that is something that struck me after the first couple of seasons that I saw him for Tamil Nadu. And as it turned out, he’s had a fantastic career. He’s made a fantastic career out of cricket,” said Raman.

Ashwin took more than 380 wickets on Indian soil. Over the years, several naysayers have thrown brickbats at the off-spinner, saying he manages to scalp wickets in bulk because of the rank turners Indian pitches have had to offer. However, Raman rightly so points out that the argument is highly flawed.

“I don’t think it’s a reasonable line to say. When we can appreciate batters getting hundreds on good batting tracks, why can’t we appreciate five-wicket hauls on turning ones? The fact that somebody is walking into the sunset after having picked up 700-plus wickets, he’s finished as the second-highest wicket-taker for the country, he’s rated as one of the all-time greats in cricket across the world. What more do you need? The point is that in anybody’s career, there will always be areas where you can sit back and try to split it into thin hair. But it’s of no use at this point, isn’t it?” said Raman.

Ashwin was always wanting to learn and improve

If one has followed Ashwin’s career closely, he/she would know that the off-spinner who finishes with 765 international wickets is an astute operator and is always in search of answers. Ashwin has repeatedly added more weapons to his arsenal to gain an advantage over batters.

“He was the most naturally gifted, talented cricketer you’d see. But in terms of maximising one’s potential, I think he’s done that. He’s shown how it can be done, and he’s punched above his weight. For the simple reason, he had to overcome a lot of challenges, and he’s done a phenomenal job of it,” said Raman.

Were there times when Ashwin was not on the same page as WV Raman when the latter was the head coach of Tamil Nadu? “You would always question. You would always want to be given answers so that he can understand what it is all about and get a better idea. That is something that should be taken in the right spirit and appreciated even by coaches. And that’s exactly what I did with him. The simple fact of the matter is that as somebody who has taken on the responsibility of guiding next-generation cricketers, it’s imperative that you try and provide all the answers that they are seeking.”

Ashwin finished his career as India’s second-highest Test wicket-taker after Anil Kumble. Since the news of his retirement broke, several people thought the off-spinner called time early as he still had much to offer in international cricket. Could Ashwin have looked to surpass Anil Kumble? Raman reckons it all boils down to the individual; sometimes, milestones are the last thing on their mind.

“See, this is all absolutely left to the individual and how he/she feels at a given point in time. And no matter how much you feel there is, there is enough cricket left in him as of now. But as I said at the start of this chat, when a cricketer feels that enough is enough, mentally, I think that’s the end of it. Because if somebody feels it’s not enjoyable doing what it is, they are doing any longer, for example, even if you get up tomorrow morning and feel that it’s enough to write, to talk, to interview people, enough, I’ll do something else. You would also call your office and say, thank you enough,” added Raman

“I’ve had enough of this. So, it’s all about how much motivation is left in an individual to continue doing what he’s been doing all these years. Yes, it would not have been an easy decision because almost up till now, his entire life has been about cricket. So, to give up something that he did so well for so long and all the things that go with it won’t have been easy. But as I said, once you think that you’ve had enough, nothing else can keep you going.”

Time and time again, Ashwin has stated his desire to win the one elusive title that is still missing from his celebrated resume – the Ranji Trophy for Tamil Nadu. All signs point towards the off-spinner going all out to make the dream come true.

“See, the thing is that he’s always been wanting to try and win a title for Tamil Nadu during his time. And I’m sure that being a guy who has shown whole-hearted commitment to any team that he plays for, he would try and do this for Tamil Nadu. And if he goes on to win the title, I think there will be a nice, well-rounded career, won’t you say so?” he says.

“His legacy is all about overcoming all the challenges, constantly learning, and constantly thinking about the game. And also living that clichéd thing of eating, breathing and sleeping cricket. I think it fits Ashwin. The other person who did that during his time and probably does it to a certain extent now is Sachin Tendulkar.”