With a “great gesture,” hockey player Ravichandran Ashwin wins hearts.

An outstanding off-spinner throughout history is Ravichandran Ashwin. His contributions to the game across all formats, particularly red-ball cricket, have cemented his place in Indian cricket history. As India trounced the West Indies 1-0 in a two-match Test series last month, the Tamil Nadu batsman recently helped India get off to a strong start in the 2023–2025 World Test Championship cycle.

The seasoned cricketer went to the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, August 9, to see the Asian Champions Trophy hockey match between India and Pakistan. The two teams’ players, as well as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, were pictured standing with Ravichandran Ashwin during the national anthems prior to the game. Shaking hands and wishing them luck for the game, the outstanding all-arounder wished the players luck. Ashwin, who was sitting with other dignitaries in the stands as the high-stakes game began, was spotted supporting the Indian team.

India dominated the contest and eliminated Pakistan from the competition with a score of 4-0. After the game, Ravichandran Ashwin spoke with the Indian cricketer’s goalie, PR Sreejesh, who lavished accolades on him. After the conversation, the two seasoned Indian players hugged one another, creating a touching scene.

“It was a wonderful gesture on his part. He is a legend, a veteran player, and a member of the current international team, but he still recognized me. He arrived to say hello. Nobody else does that, so it’s something I can treasure forever.

Seriously,” Sreejesh was reported by Times Now as stating following his conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin.

The support of Indian sportsmen in one sport by those in another is always admirable. Another prominent cricketer, Shreyas Iyer, was spotted supporting the Indian football team at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru last month while they faced Lebanon in the semifinal of the SAFF Championship 2023. He also traveled to the same stadium for the championship match, which India won by defeating Kuwait in a nail-biting penalty shootout. Together with Shreyas, Deepak Chahar was present.