Expressing his immense gratitude for India’s skipper Rohit Sharma for his leadership and “heart of gold”, veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said he was “deeply moved’ by the captain’s gesture of allowing him to temporarily withdraw from the third Test against England in Rajkot to travel to Chennai for a health emergency concerning his mother.

Ashwin was one of the architects of India’s recent 4-1 triumph against England, and the five-Test series turned out to be a memorable one for the 37-year-old, who not only featured in his landmark 100th Test but also became the second Indian after Anil Kumble to bag 500 wickets in the longest format.

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However, after claiming his 500th Test wicket on the second day of the third Test, Ashwin had to rush back to Chennai for a day, before rejoining the team late on the fourth day.

“After the end of play, I was expecting a call from my wife or father. I was a bit surprised not to hear from them, since it was almost 7 PM. But I figured they must be busy with interviews and responding to congratulatory messages, so didn’t think much of it,” Ashwin said on his Youtube channel.

“After being unable to reach my parents, I finally got hold of my wife on the phone. Her voice was breaking. I told her I was just about to get into the shower, and she asked me to go somewhere alone, away from my team-mates. She said that my mother had collapsed after a severe headache.”

Ashwin said he couldn’t immediately process the news, particularly with the Test, and series, in the balance. England had ended the second day on 207 for 2 in response to India’s 445, with the series tied 1-1.

“I just blanked out. I don’t remember what I did, but I was crying. On one hand, I knew I had to go back home, but there was also the thinking of how I let my team-mates down. I couldn’t strike that balance. I didn’t know what to tell the coach or captain. I was in the XI, and if I go home now, we’d be left with only 10 players, giving England the advantage,” he narrated.

“But I was also just thinking about my mother. And when was the last time I spoke to her. In my mind, I knew I had to go back home and see her, but the doctors were informing us that nobody was allowed in to meet her,” he added.

Ashwin said that it was at this point when Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid stepped into his room, and made a straightforward call, “Rohit came in, saw me thinking, and just said, ‘what are you doing? You need to leave right away. Please just pack your bags and go,’” he said.

The Tamil Nadu tweaker also thanked his Test teammate Cheteshwar Pujara, who arranged a chartered flight as there were no direct flights to Chennai.

“I must say a big thank you to Cheteshwar Pujara as well, who spoke to a lot of people and arranged for a chartered flight for me. Our team physio Kamlesh Jain is a good friend. Rohit told Kamlesh to accompany me on the flight to Chennai, despite Kamlesh being one of only two physios in the team.”

“I told Kamlesh, ‘it’s ok, please stay back’. But when I boarded the flight, Kamlesh and a security person were already there. Not just that, but Rohit regularly kept calling Kamlesh to check in on me and see how I’m doing. That deeply moved me. In a selfish society like ours, that man who decides to take a moment to think of someone else’s wellbeing, he’s truly great,” Ashwin said.

“Rohit is a special person, an outstanding leader, with a golden heart. I saw it first-hand. I’d give my life for him on the field, that’s the kind of captain he is. It’s because of these qualities that he’s won so many titles, including five IPLs. I pray to God that Rohit achieves even more in his career and life,” he added.

Following the family emergency, Ashwin made a roaring comeback and capped off the Test series with a historic feat by registering the most number of five-wicket hauls for India in the history of Test cricket. The 37-year-old claimed his 36th five-wicket haul on the third day of the fifth and final Test, played in Dharamsala.