Follow UsAce offspinner R Ashwin revealed that former India captain and allrounder Kapil Dev sent him a small hand-written note and bouquet after he went past his tally of 434 Test wickets during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali. Ashwin now has 436 scalps in 85 Tests at an impressive average of 24.26.
"Very sweet of Kapil paaji. He has actually sent a bouquet home. He has also sent a small hand-written note congratulating me for crossing him. Sometimes people do forget that people like Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh; those who have done incredible things in the past are one the reasons why I am sitting here today," said Ashwin in a video posted by the BCCI on Wednesday (March 9).
Talking about surpassing Kapil Dev, Ashwin said: "If I call this a dream, I would be lying. For me, getting this number of wickets was never even a part of my bucket list. I had put up a post on Instagram yesterday. Way back in 1994, I clearly remember I was sitting with my dad. My dad used to have a cane chair where I would sit and watch the game. We were watching and he was so keen.
"There were neighbours around and the neighbours had gathered to watch the game and I had no idea what they were looking forward to. I then realised that my father was cheering Kapil Dev on to go past Sir Richard Hadlee. I asked him the significance of it and he told me that Kapil Dev would go on to be the world's highest wicket-taker.
Early lessons & record-breaking spell đź‘Ś
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 9, 2022
Lavish praise from #TeamIndia Captain @ImRo45 & legendary @therealkapildev's special gesture đź‘Ź
Tribute to the late Shane Warne 🙌
Watch @ashwinravi99 discuss it all in this special feature🎥 🔽 #INDvSL | @Paytm https://t.co/KbyLMhJRLF pic.twitter.com/fy8nQbpQ7e
"I was so chuffed about it and you read a lot about it in the papers. For me at that point of time, an Indian achieving that sort of milestone was incredible. We have to be deeply indebted to such people. At the same time, we have to be very humble in what we are doing. I am extremely pleased and only full of gratitude for all those people before me."
India smashed Sri Lanka by an innings and 222 runs in the first Test and have taken a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The offspinner heaped heavy praise on the current Test team and also wants to keep getting better and better.
"It's been a wonderful team. As I look at it now with a little more maturity and a little bit of a twinkle in my eye, I can see the kind of people I brushed shoulders with in this team. Maybe 5-10 years down the line, people will talk about this being one of the good teams that India has produced.
"And I'm so delighted for all my fellow cricketers who went on to do some great things. At this point of time, where I stand in my career and the kind of cricket I'm playing, I am just looking to get better every single day with utmost joy and happiness on my face, and I am enjoying this phase. Some of my teammates are enabling me to enjoy these moments better."
The second Test against Sri Lanka will be a day/night affair, which will be played in Bangalore from Saturday.Â