Chitra Ravichandran, mother of former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, firmly believes that MS Dhoni was instrumental in shaping her son’s career. She highlights Dhoni’s impact not only through his captaincy for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and India but also through a crucial batting performance.
In the third episode of CSK’s player documentary series ‘The Making of’, featured on their YouTube channel, Chitra vividly recalled Dhoni’s explosive 29-ball 54, which secured a final-over victory against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). She explained how this particular innings propelled CSK into that year’s playoffs, where Ashwin’s impressive performance ultimately jumpstarted his career.
“We shouldn’t forget that it was the IPL that showcased Ashwin’s talent to the world,” Chitra asserted in the interview. “I have to say that CSK played a big role in that. Because MS Dhoni played that big knock (IPL 2010 in Dharamsala), CSK qualified for the knockouts that season. After that, Ashwin took wickets and we won the title that year. The rest is history. On that day, for example, if we had lost to Kings XI Punjab and if Dhoni didn’t play a big knock in that match, definitely if you ask the question – where is Ashwin, then you might have had to look with a microscopic lens,” she added, emphasizing the pivotal nature of that moment.
Prior to the playoffs, R Ashwin had already secured 12 wickets, notably dismissing Kumar Sangakkara against PBKS in the Dharamsala match. The off-spinner then claimed the crucial wicket of Andrew Symonds in the semi-final against Deccan Chargers and followed up with an economical four-over spell, conceding just 24 runs in the final.
Thala for a reason!
