'I am humbled by the praise' - says SK, the man who taught Ravi Ashwin carrom ball

India star Ravi Ashwin recently revealed that a man named SK taught him the carrom ball. It would not be at all wrong to say that it was the carrom ball that made Ashwin famous early on in his career when he hogged the limelight with his performances for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

He did not take long to break into international cricket and has not looked back since then. For over a decade now, the off-spinner has been one of the leading bowlers in the world. And throughout his career so far, Ashwin has relied on the carrom ball a lot to get the job done. And he recently revealed where it all started for him as far as the carrom ball is concerned.

The 33-year-old recalled that a guy named SK taught him to bowl the carrom ball when he was young and used to play tennis-ball cricket. At the same time, he also expressed his disappointment over not finding him. “Till today I can’t find where the guy is but I haven’t seen a better bowler who can bowl both in and out than him in my life. His name is SK. He was the one from whom I learnt that ball,” Ashwin said on the new episode of Spicy Pitch on Cricbuzz.

“Basically he was the one who made me look like an absolute idiot on that particular day. I was a big thing around the tennis ball circuit as a batsman then, so I said I need to learn from this guy. So I used to go every morning, and he used to come and teach me for about 10-15 days,” he added.

I wonder if my carrom ball was that good, says SK

Well, it did not take long for Cricbuzz team to find out SK or rather Karthik Sekhar. On Sunday, Cricbuzz posted a clip of the man who taught Ravi Ashwin the carrom ball. Sekhar was delighted with Ashwin’s comments and said that the tennis ball fraternity is proud to see the off-spinner doing so well.

“Hey Ashwin surprise, here is the SK you have been looking for. I am humbled by the praise you showered for me. This is one of the most pleasant surprises for us. We are so proud of you. From tennis ball cricket to making India proud, you have come a long way. I wonder if my carrom ball was that good, I should have taken it more seriously. Keep making us proud,” said Sekhar.

On #SpicyPitch's season opener, @ashwinravi99 revealed who he learnt the famous carrom ball from during his tennis-ball cricket days, and how he had lost contact with him. Well, we found him. Here's SK's special video message for the ace spinner. pic.twitter.com/n4hlvViZJd

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) February 16, 2020