I have the Streets by R. Ashwin, S Monga – Spin it like Ashwin

An intelligent, engaging, nostalgic, and candid autobiography that only feels like half the story

Ravichandran Ashwin has been India’s premier spinner for over a decade and has been one of those intelligent thinkers & tinkerers of the game constantly working on disrupting the game & upskilling himself in every discipline. Therefore, it was a no-brainer to pick up the book that had a fairly intriguing title as well. The book makes for a good read overall – there have been other biographies on other notable cricketers that have been super formulaic and dry but this one is like the man himself – pretty straightforward and candid but also only half the story given he details only the first half of his career to where he gets his big break in the IPL. Ashwin is notorious for seeking every advantage when playing cricket and in a way, this book seeks advantage of your wallet to showcase a small yet important and integral part of Ashwin’s story

The 1^st part of the book detailing Ashwin’s childhood and the sacrifices made by his parents and grandfather are the parts I loved about the book. As someone growing up in Chennai during the same time, I related to a lot of observations that he had. The importance of street cricket with its idiosyncratic rules is something that everyone who played cricket in a cramped city environment would have gone through and in a way shapes some of the skills that you bring onto the field. The early part of the book also triggered a lot of my childhood nostalgia – the ever-present MRF Tarapore towers that one always passed, the coverage in the Hindu about the local cricketing clubs in Chennai like Mambalam Mosquites & Jolly Rovers that had quite a lot of active cricketers of the time playing in as well as the local street games that you participated in with some money at stake (50 Rs was so big at that point in time) – I will admit to devouring these sections with a small lump in my throat – especially given how much Chennai has changed and how much I have also changed.

The cricket-mad nature of Ashwin is also something I related to in the book. I remember following all kinds of random matches – be it local club games, Ranji, India or even non-India games as detailed in the Hindu with a lot of interest. Cricket used to be our lifeblood and breath and that detailing comes across wonderfully well in the book as Ashwin establishes himself as a fan of the game first and foremost. Some moments play out like dreams and fantasies – sharing a dressing room with the likes of Sachin, moments with Dhoni, and of course, winning the World Cup

The struggles that went into making Ashwin the cricketer that he is are also pretty well documented – it is not just his but also his family’s struggle. The effort that goes into building a cricketer, especially when one hails from a typical middle-class family is humungous and requires a lot of sacrifice. It is a struggle that has to be put in the context of the general risk-averse nature of the middle class that believes in the safety blanket of an assured 9-5 job. The importance of luck and fortune cannot also be overstated – all the effort, sacrifice, and talent would go to waste if there were an ill-timed injury or nepotism and connections at work or worst, due to an inability to toe the line, keep mum and not push for your place

The last one is particularly relevant for someone like Ashwin who takes candidness and forthrightness pretty seriously and is unwilling to take no for an answer without proper reason. This one does cause a lot of grief for Ashwin during the formative years of his career before he became a mainstay and no-one is spared as they go through the book. Ashwin does remember each incident and call a bunch of folks out – he is unsparing of the people who made those decisions and unapologetic about who he is and his behavior (attitude if you like).  

The book walks through the initial parts of Ashwin’s career until his breakthrough in the IPL. The book stops before he makes it to the test team and that left me half-satiated given it is Ashwin the test cricketer whose journey we want to follow more than anything. In a rather uncharitable way, I found this to be a cash grab that left us only with half the story. In a way it’s in keeping with the rather calculative mind of Ashwin – I mean it is a Kutty (small) story after all and Ashwin’s full story isn’t done yet

Rating - 3.5 wickets on 5