Now Reading: Ashwin says Manjrekar criticism became a life-changing guru
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Ashwin says Manjrekar criticism became a life-changing guru
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.
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com, rediff.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
