Sunil Subramaniam says, ‘R Ashwin is mentally the toughest international cricketer going around, even tougher than Virat Kohli’
Ashwin is at the highest level, but even when he is not, cricket and him are inseparable. When he is not playing for India, he will turn up for a local club game in Tamil Nadu or represent his franchise in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. When he is not playing any cricket, he will follow any cricket on television and post about it. And when he is not watching, he will keep everyone engaged with his YouTube channel. Sunil Subramaniam, Offie's childhood coach, recalls that he played 2000 matches before even getting a break for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy.
Subramanium says, “By the time Ashwin was called for the Ranji Trophy, he had already played 2000 matches. He would play day and night and continue doing so for as long as he could. He keeps playing cricket. Even now, he has been busy playing T20 cricket in the TNPL and plays wherever and whenever he gets a chance.”
For the coach, who also served as manager of the Indian cricket team from 2017 to 2019, Ashwin is “mentally the toughest international cricketer going around, even tougher than Virat Kohli”.
He further said, “I have seen many cricketers, dealt with them, and feel Ashwin is mentally the toughest international cricketer going around, even tougher than Virat Kohli. And my assessment is based on what I have been seeing since 2011 onward. Virat had to come out of the slump he had, and I have observed him closely, as has Ashwin, obviously from his formative years. These two guys are not your normal cricketers. You rarely come across people of this level of mental toughness and intelligence.”