'Didn't get a chance in India's XI, I used to be a waterboy': Ashwin draws self-comparison to laud Ishan Kishan

It took Ravichandran Ashwin nearly 10 months to play back-to-back ODIs for India since earning his maiden international call-up for a home series against South Africa in April 2010. He got the nod as premier off-spinner Harbhajan Singh had opted out of the first two ODIs due to his sister's wedding. No prizes to guess the fact that Ashwin did not play a single match in the series. He had to wait for the Zimbabwe tour a couple of months later to get his India cap. He played only one ODI and performed reasonably well with both bat and ball, picking up 2/50 and scoring 38.

He played a couple of T20Is on that Zimbabwe tour too. T20Is were sporadic during that time, meaning Ashwin's next chance to represent India came only in October in an ODI against Australia. But it was only against New Zealand a month later did Ashwin get to play consecutive matches in an ODI series. He played all five matches in that series which India won 5-0. His 11 wickets in the series were enough to convince the selectors that he was good enough to get a place in India's famous 2011 World Cup squad.

He was not the first choice there as Harbhajan was India's lead spinner but Ashwin played two matches - against West Indies in the group stage and against Australia in the quarter-final. After the World Cup, Ashwin gradually grabbed the lead spinner's spot in all three formats but it took the Tamil Nadu cricketer almost a year to get regular matches and then cement his place in the XI.

About 12 years later, Ashwin, who is now India's second-highest wicket-taker in Tests, recalled his early days while talking about Ishan Kishan. Ashwin said he didn't get to play much for starters but those days with the Indian team were very important in shaping his career.

"In my formative years in 2009 when I joined the squad, I used to be a waterboy in the initial years. I didn’t get many chances in the playing XI, but I had been in the squad. Those years are really important for learning as a player," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Ashwin found similarities with Kishan. "Ishan Kishan has been on the bench for so many years now. He scored a double hundred against Bangladesh in ODIs, he has performed well whenever he has gotten an opportunity. He will be in the squad, but he won’t be in the playing XI consistently," Ashwin added.

Ashwin spoke highly of the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter who was the top-scorer in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies. "Ishan Kishan played outstandingly throughout the entire series. Actually, that’s a big positive. Whenever Ishan Kishan has gotten opportunities in the white ball format, he has used them really well. Even in the last Test match when he got an opportunity to bat higher up the order, he scored a quickfire half-century."

Kishan's positive attitude has impressed Ashwin the most. "He is an outstanding guy. He is a jolly person, and he will always be ready for anything. For example, if any player is playing, he will first take the gloves of those players and be ready. He will arrange their bats if they require a change at any point. He will make all the players feel comfortable around him. He will entertain all the players in the dressing room. He doesn’t have one negative energy in his body. He is the embodiment of positivity. It feels really good to see him do well whenever he gets an opportunity," Ashwin said.