One of the most iconic moments of Ravichandran Ashwin's career took place with bat in hand, during the T20 World Cup 2022 match between India and Pakistan. Ashwin's iconic farewell to Mohammad Nawaz (when India needed two runs off one ball) to go wide remains one of the most memorable moments in Indian cricket in recent memory. Reminiscing about the India-Pakistan match, Ashwin said the moment only dawned on him when he saw how head coach Rahul Dravid reacted.
“I didn't realize what I had done. I came back to the dressing room and I didn't see Rahul Dravid cheering like that. I mean, the second time I saw him cheering was after the T20 World Cup, which we won recently. Until I hadn't seen him cheer until now. He came up to me and said, 'That's why we've got you in the team!', Ashwin said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast alongside former England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser. Hussain.
Ashwin also shared Virat Kohli's immediate reaction to Ashwin's exit.
“I honestly didn't realize the magnitude of what that moment meant. I just saw the ball and just let it go. Then it hit Rizwan and it came back. I think Virat was almost celebrating. He just used his hand to saying, who the hell leaves a ball like that,” Ashwin added.
With India needing 160 to win, Virat Kohli almost single-handedly took India to victory with a phenomenal knock of 82 off 53 balls. But just when it looked like Kohli's efforts would be in vain, Ashwin's genius and quick thinking helped India win the match.
The moment was the perfect example of Ashwin's ability to stay under pressure, a skill that has carried Team India to no end throughout his career.
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