Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh extended his wishes and prayers to Ravichandran Ashwin’s family after the spin-bowling all-rounder withdrew from the ongoing third Test against England in Rajkot.
Ashwin, who became only the second Indian after the legendary Anil Kumble to take 500 Test wickets on Day 2 in Rajkot, had to pull out from the third Test due to a family emergency.
Later, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla revealed on social media that Ashwin had to leave for Chennai to be with his ailing mother.
Taking to ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Harbhajan wrote: “Dear @ashwinravi99, Over the years you’ve given joy to 1.4 billion Indians with your achievements and I join each of those in sending wishes and prayers for the well-being of your family.”
Ex-India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan also shared a message for Ashwin, hoping that everything is okay with his family.
Ashwin became the second India player to withdraw from the third Test after star batter Virat Kohli remained unavailable for the entire series due to ‘personal reasons’.
“Big cheers to @ashwinravi99 for 500 Test wickets! Very big achievement in cricket. Heard you left the game for family reasons. Hope everything is okay. #INDvENG,” Yusuf tweeted.
Hours after the close of play on Day 2 in Rajkot, the BCCI posted a message confirming that Ashwin would take no further part in the third Test owing to a family medical emergency.
“Ravichandran Ashwin has withdrawn from the Test squad, effective immediately due to a family medical emergency. In these challenging times, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the team fully supports Ashwin,” the BCCI said in a media release.
Ashwin played a handy knock with the bat on Day 2 in Rajkot, scoring 37 runs with six boundaries. He forged a 77-run partnership with debutant Dhruv Jurel for the eighth wicket. His knock helped the hosts post a strong total of 445/10 in their first innings.
Later, Ashwin got rid of Zak Crawley to claim his 500th Test scalp, becoming just the second Indian to achieve this milestone.
However, England rode on Ben Duckett’s swashbuckling century to end the day on 207/2, trailing India by 238 runs. The left-handed opener slammed 133* off just 118 balls, hitting 21 boundaries and two maximums.
