India vs Australia: R Ashwin gifts ailing fan match ticket to watch MS Dhoni blitz

Chennai: Due to the sheer number of people who religiously follow it, cricket in India has been able to provide very well for its brightest stars. However, it is not very often that one of these stars decides to give something back to the fans of the sport.

This is exactly what happened on Sunday, at the Chepauk Stadium, in Chennai, when India played the first game of their five-ODI series against Australia.

Ravichandran Ashwin, one of the favourite sons of Chennai, may not have been playing on that day, but he made sure that one of his fans had the chance to watch wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is a local favourite despite not hailing from the city.

P Venkatesan, an ardent fan of Ashwin is currently fighting for his life, being inflicted with a kidney-related problem, received a hospitality box ticket from his favourite cricketer, to witness India’s 26-run win via Duckworth/Lewis method in a rain-truncated match.

“I have only viewed matches from the galleries. Thanks to the efforts taken by Ashwin’s management team, I am watching the game from the hospitality box,” Venkatesan said to The New Indian Express. “For someone like me it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. I will never ever forget the courtesy extended by Ashwin.”