The biryani, happily, was the very definition of simple. light-textured, with a subtle tomato-ey twang, it reminded me a lot of a North Indian pulao. The flavour whack came from the sweet-sour Khatta Baingan simmered in a gravy of tamarind, jaggery, fried mustard seeds, and spices, served with it.
Just-retired R Ashwin's father Ravichandran kicked up a controversy on Thursday by claiming that "humiliation" could have been a reason for his son's decision to call it quits but the veteran off-spinner made light of the "dad comment", blaming it on lack of media training.
Ravichandran Ashwin continued his absolute dominance over batters during the first Test against Bangladesh, returning with a six-wicket haul, and the star off-spinner said he enjoyed every moment of bowling on the red-soil pitch, which is often perceived as pacer-friendly, because of the steep bounce it offers.
Growing up, he sharpened his skill watching videos of West Indian spinner Sunil Narine and Indian legend Ravichandran Ashwin. He was fortunate to meet Ashwin during a stint with KKR in the IPL.
Spin great Harbhajan Singh said India don't have a specialist off-spinner for Test cricket.
'Hunting in pairs' is an often-used maxim about fast bowlers, but Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have given a new spin to it, consistently troubling the opposition in more ways than one.
Cheteshwar Pujara refuses to believe India's recent poor record at home is because of transition.
The 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home last year still haunts India head coach Gautam Gambhir and he also doesn't want his players to forget that rare drubbing in Tests as they build for the future.
Ravichandran, father of veteran off-spinner Ashwin, said he was caught off guard by his son's sudden retirement from international cricket, but stunningly hinted that there could be underlying reasons for it, including him feeling "humiliated".
The story of Ravichandrean Ashwin remains incomplete without the mention of Ravindra Jadeja.
Even Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel had said that both of them might need to play a bit of domestic cricket to get into the groove and could have actually played the India A series.
Home hero Ravichandran Ashwin on Thursday said he made a conscious effort to bat aggressively on the red soil pitch laid out for the first Test against Bangladesh.
'Many things that are happening are not good for Indian cricket.'
Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday said he has liberated himself from the clutches of external and internal pressure, and now he is just looking to play cricket "with a smile on face."
Ashwin's decision too came as a bit of a surprise, especially considering the team's reliance on him.
'Normally, you tend to look at the end of the series. That's it. In the middle, it is not usual.'
The 80-year-old Srinivasan was appointed CSK chairman in the franchise's board meeting a couple of weeks ago.
'Sometimes it might look wrong in the fans' eyes, but please don't twist things or create narratives that aren't even close to the truth.'
Australian star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is hopeful of regaining fitness in time for the latter half of the upcoming T20 International series against India after undergoing surgery on his fractured right wrist.
If one has to analyse Ashwin the cricketer, it is very difficult to ignore Ashwin, the person, who had a very independent mind and a brain that probably ticked 24x7. He believed in de-construction of his art and became craftier one ball at a time.
Jadeja reduces South Africa to 93/7 in second innings, India smell big win
Nayar believes that the whole team has bought into Rohit and Gambhir's philosophy, including the two spin greats.
Dubey said he did not try anything different for his record wicket haul but credited the feat to getting a regular run in the premier domestic tournament.
Mitchell Starc has paid a glorious tribute to the just-retired India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin
Panesar believes Lyon is a better bowler than Ashwin because of the dominance he has imposed in Australia, where spinners struggle to find assistance from the pitch.
Having made their Test debuts in the same year, Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin will face each other for the eighth time in the longest format during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Kotian has fond memories of the Melbourne Cricket Ground where he scored 44 batting at No. 8 for India A and looked the part.
It has become difficult for Ashwin to be even considered in the present scenario.
'If we play well against those two (Ashwin, Jadeja), we'll generally find ourselves in a better position compared to when they've had a field day and run through us.'
Australia's Steve Smith wants to adopt a proactive approach against Ravichandran Ashwin in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The veteran spinner was named as a late replacement for the injured Axar Patel in India' 15-member squad for World Cup 2023.
'What they bring to the table (can) never be written off.'
'Sundar is the front-runner behind Ashwin right now. He's done well in whatever limited opportunities he's got and I feel he will get his due first before going to anybody else.'
'Dhoni is a very cool captain. But he was also very happy and was enjoying that moment.'
Dhoni's only advice to Ashwin was to keep reinventing himself.
Amidst strong speculation of him wanting to snap the ties with Rajasthan Royals, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson said his long association with the IPL franchise has transformed his life and career.
Ajit Agarkar's contract as the chief selector was renewed before IPL 2025 taking into account Team India's successful showing during his tenure.
The Indian team is brave and supremely confident in its ability to win from any situation, said England's all-time great Alastair Cook.
Amit Mishra is the only bowler to have claimed three hat-tricks in the IPL.
'For me, the lowest point was the phase between 2018 and 2019.'
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