'The biggest turning point in Ashwin's career was when he switched to bowling off-spin. And I must thank my wife Chitra for that decision.'
Ravichandran Ashwin reached the coveted 500th Test wicket milestone when he picked up England opener Zak Crawley's wicket on Day 2 of the third Test in Rajkot.
The 37-year-old off spinner became the second Indian bowler after Anil Kumble to scale the peak which only eight bowlers before him had achieved.
Ashwin dedicated the feat to his father Ravichandran who spoke about his son's early days in an interview to the Indian Express newspaper.
'The 500 wicket milestone is an unforgettable moment for me,' Ravichandran told B Venkata Krishnan of the Express. 'I've been dreaming about for a long time and this wicket will keep playing in my mind until my last breath.'
The father took a walk down memory lane on how his son handled both studies and cricket.
'My memory jogs back to the days when I took him on my scooter to school and for coaching. For a father to have a wish or a dream is one thing. But for the son to buy into it and make sacrifices is different. Ashwin made us live a dream.
'To concentrate on both studies and sports is not easy. When he was young, he understood the effort I was putting in for him,' Ravichandran told the Indian Express.
'He had one condition when I sat down to teach him. He should also be able to follow the match on television. I never stopped him from watching cricket. Because if I did, I knew his mind would be thinking only about the game and he wouldn't pay attention on the books.'
Ravichandran revealed the turning point in Ashwin's career and credited his mother for the decision.
'The biggest turning point in Ashwin's career was when he switched to bowling off-spin. And I must thank my wife Chitra for that decision. Those days Ashwin had wheezing and he also had an issue with his knee.
'So to do all the running (as a medium pacer) was proving to be a challenge. It was Chitra who said, "Why should you run so much? Just take a few steps and bowl spin".'
Ashwin rushed home on Friday evening as his mother was unwell. Ashwin will not be available for the rest of the match, and may be unavailable for the remaining two Tests as well.
