Ashwin says Manjrekar’s critical article became a guru

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has recalled how a harsh newspaper column by Sanjay Manjrekar after the 2011-12 Australia tour initially angered him but eventually spurred a turnaround in his career. In a chat on Jio Hotstar, Ashwin said he felt bad reading the piece on the flight home but later decided to learn from the criticism. He worked hard over the next four years, and in 2015 Manjrekar wrote a follow-up praising his improved bowling.

Ashwin said he messaged Manjrekar after the second article, telling him that the earlier column had come to him like a guru and changed his life. The off-spinner took only nine wickets at an average of 62 in the three-Test series that India lost 0-4. Ashwin also revealed that he had modelled his bowling action on Harbhajan Singh after watching the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and had never imagined he would become a frontline spinner.

NDTV reports the story as one of constructive criticism leading to self-improvement, while New Indian Express notes that Manjrekar is known for polarising opinions. Both sources use Ashwin's own words and do not add independent comment.