“She was crying, had massive burst out of emotions” - Ravichandran Ashwin opens up on wife’s emotional breakdown in Brisbane

Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed that his wife had an emotional breakdown in Brisbane, where India played their last Test during their tour of Australia earlier this year.

The Brisbane Test is remembered for India’s historic win as they chased down a record 328-run target. Off the field, though, the players and their families were dealing with a different battle.

Ashwin explained that they were not supposed to be a bio-bubble in Brisbane. However, all of a sudden, when the team reached there, the Queensland government had different rules.

In an interaction on the chat show Backstage with Boria, Ashwin opened up about what his wife had gone through in Brisbane. He revealed:

“So we were supposed to be locked up in a room. My wife very well knows how difficult it is to travel. She has done this on and off for 10 years. At Brisbane, when we landed, they put us in a hotel room and they said, 'you can’t go'. Ten minutes later, I started to hear some crying noises. It was not from my children. I went and saw that she (my wife) was crying. She had a massive burst out of emotions.”

Ashwin continued:

“She said, ‘I don’t know what is happening but the can’t take these hotel rooms anymore. You are getting fresh air but I have to been in this room. It just feels too inhuman. I came out for the love that I have for you. But I can’t do this anymore'.”

On how he handled the situation, the 35-year-old said that he held her hand and heard her out. The offie added:

“All I could do was hold her hand, just stay with her and hear what she has to say. Two days later, she was okay and back to normal. We were going to finish the tour and go back home. But this is the extent to which it can get to you.”

Ashwin agreed that cricketers earn a lot by playing the game, but stressed the fact that they sacrifice a lot as well. Stating cricketers can do with some empathy, the seasoned cricketer said:

“There is no doubt cricketers are earning, making money. But you also need to understand that this is a career that is short-lived. People make sacrifices. I have given up on so many normal things. I am the only son in the family. I haven’t gone back for a Diwali or Pongal for 27 years. My parents had COVID and were in the hospital six months ago. I haven’t seen them for seven months. Yes, cricket is a bigger emotion than anything else in India. But empathy is something we can all do better with.”

Ashwin is currently in South Africa for the three-match Test series. India won the first Test in Centurion by 113 runs on Thursday.

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“People think we stay in 5 star hotels” - Ravichandran Ashwin on bio-bubble

The COVID-19 outbreak at the start of 2020 changed the way cricketers play the game. Bio-bubbles have become the norm since. Asked to share his views on the deadly virus and quarantine life, Ashwin commented:

“We can back from New Zealand after that series (in 2020). I was still trying to figure out how my injuries were happening, how should I come out of them and, all of a sudden, COVID struck. Nobody knew what to expect. All of a sudden, the IPL got canceled. Not for a second did I imagine that we won’t play cricket for six months."

He concluded that while bio-bubble life is extremely difficult, he is prepared to go through the trouble for the love of the game. Ashwin stated:

“Lot of people on the outside precisely think we stay in five star hotels. But it is hard, everyday you wake up to the same four walls, same routine, missing your family and hometown. But if this is the trade-off I need to give in order to do something that I love, happily doing it.”

Ashwin has 429 wickets from 82 Tests at an average of 24.14. He is six short of breaking Indian legend Kapil Dev’s record of 434 wickets.