[[{“value”:”
For Ravichandran Ashwin, family has always held a special place. Time and again, he has spoken about the pivotal role played by his wife, Prithi Narayanan, and their two daughters in his life.
After Ashwin decided to step away from his illustrious cricket career, Prithi shared an emotional and heartfelt post about witnessing one of the greatest cricketers of his generation up close. Ashwin chose to retire from international cricket with two Tests remaining in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
“It has been a blurry two days for me. I have been thinking about what I can say… Do I write this as a tribute to my all-time favorite cricketer? Or maybe I’ll approach it from the partner’s perspective? Or perhaps as a love letter from a fan girl? I suppose it’s a little bit of all of that,” Prithi Narayanan wrote in her Instagram post.
“When I watched Ashwin’s press conference, I was flooded with memories—big and small. So many moments from the last 13-14 years. The major wins, the Man of the Series awards, the quiet stillness in our room after an intense match, the prolonged sound of the shower running on certain evenings after a game, the scratching of pencil on paper as he jotted down his thoughts, the constant replaying of footage videos as he formulated his game plan, the calming breaths before heading out to each match, certain songs on loop as he unwound.
Also Read: Did Gambhir have a hand in Ashwin’s abrupt exit from international cricket?
“There were the moments when we cried with joy—after the Champions Trophy final, the MCG victory, the Sydney draw, the Gabba triumph, and the T20 comeback… and the times when we sat in silence and had our hearts broken.”
Prithi then reflected on her experience of closely following Ashwin’s journey.
“Dear Ashwin, from not knowing how to pack a kit bag to following you to stadiums all over the world, cheering for you, watching you, and learning from you, it has been an absolute privilege. The world you introduced me to gave me the opportunity to experience and appreciate a sport I love from such a personal perspective,” she wrote.
Also Read: Uncertain future, family insight: Why R Ashwin chose to retire mid-series?
“It also taught me how much passion, hard work, and discipline are required to stay at the top. And sometimes, even that isn’t enough. I remember us discussing why you, R. Ashwin, had to work so hard and do so much just to stay relevant in the game. How awards, the best statistics, the Player of the Match honors, the accolades, the records—all these didn’t matter unless you constantly refined your skills and kept putting in the work. Sometimes, nothing is enough.”
“As you close this incredible chapter of your international career, all I want to say is, it’s all good. It’s all going to be good. It’s time to release the burden of being who you are. Live life on your terms—make room for those extra calories, spend time with your family, enjoy moments of doing absolutely nothing, share memes all day, create a new bowling variation, and drive our kids crazy. Just do it all.”
“}]]
