Explained: Why Ravichandran Ashwin Won't Incur Any Penalty After Missing Nearly Two Days of Rajkot Test

Ravichandran Ashwin finally rejoined his India teammate in Rajkot after leaving the third Test midway earlier this week due to a family emergency. Ashwin was seen warming up right before the start of the third session of play on the fourth day.

Ashwin left after the conclusion of the second day’s play and missed the entirety of Day 3 and the first two sessions on Sunday.

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However, the 37-year-old will be allowed to bowl straightaway without the requirement of spending some time on the field to make up for his absence.

As per an ICC rule, “A nominated player’s absence will not incur Penalty time if, in the opinion of umpires, if the player has left the field for other wholly acceptable reason, which shall not include illness or internal injury.”

Meanwhile, former India coach Ravi Shastri, currently on commentary duties, revealed on air that BCCI secretary Jay Shah arranged for a chartered flight for Ashwin to fly home and return to Rajkot.

“The BCCI secretary Jay Shah organised a charter to take him home and bring him back. I think that’s the kind of empathy that’s needed from the BCCI as well. There are the guardians of Indian cricket and with this kind of empathy, they will go a long, long way. It also makes the players feel they belong and are special,” Shastri said while commentating on Day 4.

Ashwin became the second Indian bowler and ninth overall to claim 500 wickets in Test cricket when he claimed the scalp of England opener Zak Crawley in the first innings on Friday.

Ashwin started out his playing career as a top-order batter before switching to pace bowling and then finally turning to offspin bowling.

“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 (he started off 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’,” Ravichandran, Ashwin’s father, wrote in The Indian Express.