Meme makers had a field day after cricketer-turned-commentator Laxman Sivaramakrishnan continued his tirade against Ravichandran Ashwin. 

 

“He is not the most important person in my life,” Laxman Sivaramakrishnan posted on X.

 

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Ravichandran Ashwin share a bitter relationship with the former often taking potshots at the latter. 

 

In the past, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has accused Ravichandran Ashwin of taking advantage of pitches that have been tailor-made to suit his style of bowling in India.

 

Earlier this month, Ravichandran Ashwin joined an illustrious list of Indian cricketers who have appeared in 100 Test matches for the country. 

 

The fifth Test against England in Dharamsala was Ravichandran Ashwin's 100th game in red-ball cricket and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan called him to congratulate him for accomplishing the monumental feat.

 

However, instead of responding to his calls, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan claimed that Ravichandran Ashwin was ignoring him and cutting his phone calls.

 

“Tried calling him a few times to wish him for his 100th Test. Just cut off my call. Sent him a message, no reply. That's the respect we former cricketers get,” Laxman Sivaramakrishnan wrote on X. 

 

When a Twitter user pointed out that he had insulted Ravichandran Ashwin in the past, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan put out a clarification.

 

“This is a technical observation and not criticism, disrespect. This was with good intention. You people think offering suggestions is an insult or crime. God save you. I have been connected with 43 years of cricket experience. So I do have some knowledge of the game,” he stated.

 

Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin made history in the last Test against the Ben Stokes-led team in Dharamsala.

 

During the course of his splendid performance against England at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium, Ravichandran Ashwin scripted multiple records.

 

The Tamil Nadu-born tweaker is now the highest wicket-taker for India in Tests at home, having surpassed the legendary Anil Kumble's tally. While Anil Kumble took 350 wickets in home Test matches, Ravichandran Ashwin now has 354 wickets in India. Only Muthiah Muralidaran (493), James Anderson (434), and Stuart Broad (398) have more wickets than the Indian off-spinner in red-ball cricket at home.

 

It is worth highlighting that it was Ravichandran Ashwin's 36th five-fors in Test cricket, the most for India, surpassing former skipper Anil Kumble.

 

Only two other bowlers in the five-day format have grabbed more five-wicket hauls than Ravichandran Ashwin. Sri Lanka's Muthiah Muralidaran is on top of the list with 67 five-fors. The Sri Lankan is followed by Shane Warne (37) while Ravichandran Ashwin and Richard Hadlee are joint-third with 36 five-fors each.

 

Also, it was his 28th five-for in Tests at home, the second-highest by any bowler in the whites. Muthiah Muralidaran occupies the top spot with 45 five-wicket hauls.

 

Ravichandran Ashwin is currently showcasing his traits in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he is playing for former champions Rajasthan Royals (RR).

 

The veteran India spinner praised the world's premier T20 league for its enormous impact on the way cricket is being played in the world, especially with aggression becoming the norm in the limited-overs format.

 

“As a youngster coming into the IPL, I was only looking to learn from the big stars, I did not think about how the IPL would look 10 years down the line. I can say that, having been in the IPL for so many seasons, the IPL is huge. Sometimes I wonder if IPL is even cricket, because sport takes a backstage (during IPL). It's so huge. We do end up practicing in advertisement shoots and sets! That's where the IPL has gotten to,” Ravichandran Ashwin told the Club Prairie Fire podcast. “

 

“No one envisaged the kind of growth that the IPL has had. I still remember a conversation I had with Scott Styris when we were both at CSK. He told me that when he was playing for the Deccan Chargers in the initial seasons of IPL, he did not think the IPL would last for more than two-three years. Initially, there was a big influx of money,” Ravichandran Ashwin added.

 

Ravichandran Ashwin also spoke about the fan wars in the IPL. His comments were in light of the recent criticism of Hardik Pandya who took over as the captain of the Mumbai Indians from Rohit Sharma ahead of this year's edition of the IPL.

“Fan wars should never go this ugly… One should remember which country these players represent; our country. So, then what warrants a cricketer getting booed? I don't understand. If you don’t like a player and boo a player, why should a team come out to issue a clarification,” he said on his YouTube channel.

 

“This is cricket, and there is a prevalent cinema culture. I know there are things like marketing, positioning and branding. I agree with all that. But I don’t believe in all this, but it’s not wrong to indulge in either,” he explained.