JOIN USThe Chennai off-spinner emulated Praveen Amre and Rudra Pratap Singh by clinching the man of the match award on debut in the first Test against the West Indies, where he had match figures of nine for 128.
The 25-year-old has dashed home to Chennai for his wedding with Prithi Narayanan on Sunday morning, and will join the team inKolkata later that afternoon. The second Test is to be played at the Eden Gardens from Monday.
“It is a very happy feeling to go into my wedding with such a performance,” Ashwin said with a huge grin. “I don’t know if it is a wedding gift for me, or from me to my wife!”
The topic of Ashwin’s imminent marriage, coming close on the heels of Gautam Gambhir’s wedding late last month which forced him to miss the one-off T20 international against England, generated much mirth at Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s press conference.
“One thing I have to say is that after my marriage, it is not a criterion that if you want to play for India, you have to get married!” the Indian captain joked. “It is a good age to get married, about the right age to get married. I am happy for Gautam and Ashwin, and welcome them to the elite club!”