India's Test all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin didn’t just ace his duties on the field but also off it, after being challenged by skipper Rohit Sharma to keep the conversation with presenter Harsha Bhogle shorter than his. As Ashwin was called up for a chat by Harsha, after being named the Player of the Match for his 6-for and hundred in the Chepauk Test, the all-rounder had everyone laughing as he spoke of the challenge skipper Rohit had given him.
Rohit, who had a lengthy conversation with Harsha during the post-match presentation ceremony, had challenged Ashwin to keep his shorter. The all-rounder cheekily reminded Harsha of the challenge in an attempt to wrap up the conversation early.
"He updated me saying that we would have a long chat. He is waiting to see how long this will go on for. I am sure he has put the timer on. Now it's shorter than his (chat)," Ashwin said after the match as the TV cameras shifted focus towards Rohit, who burst into laughter upon hearing what the Tamil Nadu-born star had to say.
Captain Rohit Sharma appreciating Ashwin for winning the Player of the match award.
– Two Icons of Indian cricket.@ImRo45 & @ashwinravi99pic.twitter.com/wXA6AdRJDt— Rohit Sahare (@rohit_sahare14) September 22, 2024
Ashwin relished playing in front of his home crowd. The 37-year-old went on to score his second consecutive Test ton at Chepauk and 6th overall in the longest format of the game.
Earlier in the presentation ceremony, Rohit had said on Ashwin: "He's next in line to talk to you, he's the right man to answer what he does. Every time we look up to him, he's always there for us whether with the bat or ball. I don't know if I speak here, it'll be enough of what he does for this team. Every time we see him come out and do the job, it's always so brilliant. He's never out of the game. The last competitive cricket he played was IPL and then he had some fun playing TNPL. We watched him bat up the order and that's what helped him as well to bat the way he did."