Ravichandran Ashwin, known as a cricketer, engineer, and YouTuber, has now added “author” to his list of achievements. He is currently celebrating the success of his book, “I Have the Streets: A Kutti Cricket Story.”
At 37, Ravichandran Ashwin is not only one of the smartest minds in international cricket but also someone who speaks his mind openly. With 516 Test wickets, his opinions carry weight. His book, co-written with Sidharth Monga and published by Penguin Random House, takes readers through his life up until 2011 and offers a glimpse into his analytical mind.
Ravichandran Ashwin says he lives in the moment, not worrying about specific goals. He describes himself as a creative person who follows his instincts, even if it means making mistakes. Growing up, he struggled with insecurity, but as he matured, he overcame his fears and became more confident, which is reflected in his successful cricket career.
From playing cricket on the streets of Chennai to becoming India’s top spinner, Ashwin has had quite a journey. He has faced criticism but always responds by improving his game, refusing to let external negativity affect his mindset. His engineering background helps him take calculated risks without fear of failure.
Ravichandran Ashwin admits he’s not afraid of failure. He would rather take risks than play it safe. This mindset has helped him in both life and cricket. He believes that understanding and overcoming his insecurities have given him an advantage in exploiting the weaknesses of others.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ashwin reevaluated his life and decided to take on new challenges. He started a YouTube channel during the lockdown, where he shares his insights on cricket, which now has over 1.5 million subscribers. Despite dealing with the trauma of seeing loved ones suffer from the virus, Ashwin found the time to reflect on his life and explore his creative side.
He learned a valuable lesson about risk-taking from a visit to a casino, realizing that focusing on having fun rather than winning can lead to greater success. This philosophy applies to his life as well, where he finds inspiration from various sources like movies, web series, and books.
Ashwin knows that sharing personal stories can be risky, as it may reveal sides of him that others could judge. He also understands that writing about painful experiences might hurt others involved. However, he believes in learning from life’s tough lessons and growing from them. In his book, he shares a story about being denied an IPL ticket by a Chennai Super Kings official, which motivated him to become a better person and cricketer.
He concludes by acknowledging that life isn’t always fair, but it’s important to learn from and grow from every experience, even the harsh ones.
