# Ashwin says Manjrekar criticism became a life-changing guru 2026-08-18T07:47:17+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Ravichandran Ashwin has said that former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar's harsh criticism after India's 2011-12 tour of Australia initially angered him but later became a 'guru' that transformed his career. Ashwin took only nine wickets in three Tests at an average of 62 during the 0-4 series loss. "After my first Australia tour, Sanjay Manjrekar wrote a long article. I read it and got really angry. I felt bad," Ashwin said on Jio Hotstar. He said he worked hard for the next four years on bowling and fitness. In 2015, Manjrekar wrote another article praising his improved bowling. Ashwin later got Manjrekar's number and messaged him, calling the article a 'guru' that changed his life. Ashwin retired from international cricket on December 18, 2024, with 765 wickets across 287 matches. He is India's second-highest international wicket-taker behind Anil Kumble. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both sources agree that Ashwin initially resented Manjrekar's critique but later valued it as a catalyst. The Times of India frames the story primarily as Ashwin's emotional journey, while Rediff emphasises the constructive outcome and adds detail on Ashwin's early inspiration from Harbhajan Singh, a dimension the other outlet omits. Neither source examines Manjrekar's original column's tone or whether his later praise fully corrected earlier harshness. The balanced reading is that Ashwin's self-reflection, not the criticism itself, drove his improvement, his ability to extract utility from blunt feedback is the real lesson. Watch for whether current players cite this episode when discussing media scrutiny. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com - rediff.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-18T09:12:58+00:00. Tags: India, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sanjay Manjrekar Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ashwin-reveals-manjrekar-criticism-that-became-a-guru-moment/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ashwin-reveals-manjrekar-criticism-that-became-a-guru-moment/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/