Ravichandran Ashwin is often referred to as a thinking cricketer. The way he bowls reflects so. Ashwin is currently one of the highest wicket-takers in world cricket among active players. he has 489 wickets in 94 Tests, 156 wickets in 116 ODIs and 72 scalps in 65 T20Is. Ashwin was also part of the Indian cricket team for the ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. He is currently enjoying a break from cricket ahead of India’s Tour of South Africa, where he will be expected to cross the 500-wickets mark.

Ahead of the Tour, Ravichandran Ashwin gave a lowdown on his philosophy.

“I have sacrificed my food, I have sacrificed my lifestyle, I train doubly harder and yet I could never be a Virat Kohli,” Ravichandran Ashwin told former India cricketer WV Raman in an interview on Sportstar’s YouTube channel.

“And that is something I’ve made peace with, because that is his journey and this is my journey. For me, not being naturally athletic is something that stuck as a tag with me all through my life but it’s never stopped me from working hard on it and stay relevant. For me, staying relevant, to be able to put myself on the ground and exhibit my skill has been at the forefront. I have never really seen it as a sacrifice. Instead, it’s been an absolute journey of pleasure and joy.”

Ahead of the IPL auction, star India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, gave his take on how the franchises might strategise at the IPL 2024 auction. Among the batters, Rajasthan Royals player Ashwin backed power-hitter Shahrukh Khan to back big bucks.

Shahrukh Khan played for Punjab Kings at the 2022 IPL. In 14 matches, he scored 156 at a strike-rate of 165.96.

“I can definitely see a war between CSK and Gujarat for Shahrukh Khan. Gujarat have let go of Hardik Pandya , Gujarat needs a player who can finish the innings, a sort of power player.  and they need a power player. Shahrukh was at Rs 9 crore At Kings, and I though he showed his skills pretty well. Is it a decent release? Because I think he might end up going for Rs 12-13 crore again,” said Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel.

“CSK might even take a chance of missing out on Mitchell Starc to get Shahrukh Khan because they don’t have a local player or a presence. They went for Shahrukh Khan in the mega auction, and that’s why I’m guessing so.”