IPL is not a villain but motivation: Ashwin
Indian all-rounder calls to improve day by day with a road map to success
Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin is also a brilliant motivator. By starting his own cricket academy called Gen-Next Cricket Academy when he was only 22 years old and by extending his academy to the UAE at Kings’s School in Al Barsha, he has inspired many youngsters.
Asked as to what it needs to be a successful cricketer though based in the UAE, he said: “In India too there is no guarantee that a cricketer who will take the field or who will practice in an academy will go through certain ranks and reach a certain place.
“In an age where technology advancements are massive and also the awareness of the kids are better than what it was when we grew up, it is important to lay down a proper structure and show them. During my school days my father used to take me in a bike to play matches. After every successful day I used to ask my father on what’s next for me and my father used to say that I will play under-14 and play different age categories and reach the state team to play Ranji Trophy and then the Indian team.
“It used to be very tiresome to hear that because it seemed like a very long road ahead but nobody emphasised the fact that improving on a dayto-day basis was everything and I understood this only by the age of 20.
“We can draw up one and explain to them how they can go through it and try and work on that road map for a period of time.”
Backing Ashwin’s view was Anis Sajan, managing director of Danube, who will support Ashwin’s initiative here. “UAE has the infrastructure and talent but what they need is someone like Ashwin, who cannot come here every time, to take it forward. Only then can cricket move forward and the progress like Afghanistan and Bangladesh and play Test cricket,” said Anis.
Ashwin then went on say Indian Premier League (IPL) is a motivation to move ahead. “People tend to brand IPL as some sort of a villain to Indian cricket in a lot of ways. It depends how a cricketer address IPL. Any sort of monetary gain that IPL provides is a motivation to move ahead.”