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Ravichandran Ashwin opens up on considering quitting the game between 2018 to 2020

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Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has opened up on the times when he considered giving up on the game due to excessive pains he had to go through to play the game and it was becoming too much to handle for him.

In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Ashwin said he was weighing various options including quitting the game during the time period between 2018 and 2020 as he was not able to bowl even one over without extreme discomfort.

"Between 2018 and 2020, I contemplated giving up the sport at various points," Ashwin was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. 

"I thought I have put in a lot of effort, but it is not coming through. The harder I tried, the farther it felt. Especially with athletic pubalgia and the patellar tendonitis - I used to bowl six balls and then I used to be gasping for breath. And there would be pain all over the place." 

Thankfully for both India and Ashwin, he got hold of the injury and bounced back admirably from the career-threatening scare. He bowled beautifully on the tour of Australia and at home against England and New Zealand earlier this year to help India continue their dream run in the longest format.

He has embarked on another overseas tour of South Africa and his role will be crucial if India have to have any chance of winning their first-ever Test series in the rainbow nation. 

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