He picks the call, soft-spoken as ever, answers humbly that he will always look to the game as a getaway in life. Having been on the ropes for the longest time owing to injury, Aswin Crist endured the tough yards of the game, right when he was about to make a genuine breakthrough as one of the best pacers in the country with Tamil Nadu. 

“I will tell the most important thing, the diagnosis part is the most crucial part with injuries, that was actually what kept me away from the game for two years. I felt that was the part that we missed out in my case and that is the most important part. If you find what and where the issue is, it will be easier to deal with it. That’s what I feel about injuries,” he added.

“My aim in the lockdown was not to let my fitness down. Once the lockdown started, my motive was to keep the fitness levels high and regarding my skill set; I used to do my bowling drills at home, and I used to go out for a run,” he reinstated.

“People around me would keep asking me about the injuries whenever they meet me, it made me better as a person actually. I responded to them better after a few days because I was able to understand from their perspective as well. It made me humble, there will be so many things expecting stuff from you, I learnt how to deal with it,” he added.

“When I was 10 years old, we shifted to Chennai and my dad used to take me to Test matches. Once we were playing Australia at Chepauk, I came with my dad to watch the practice session. I was watching him play and bowl and before that he played well in the Pakistan series. He’s my favourite cricketer from Tamil Nadu more than anyone. From there, coming to Chennai, playing cricket in Chennai and getting to play with him was such a big thing for me. I look up to him and he talks so well, I can ask him anything about cricket.”

But the last time he donned the Tamil Nadu jersey, he knew how to breathe fire and take an ice-calm approach before bowling. However, it wasn’t as easy as waking up overnight and playing for the pacer, who had to endure a gradual process, which lasted eight-weeks before he was finally fit to resume in full throttle.

“India Cements and Tamil Nadu Cricket Association in the last two years, they have provided me everything. They were the backbone after my parents, I haven’t played a single club game for them in two years and despite that, they always back me. Every time I see Kasi sir and Palani sir, they just ask me to take my time, not to rush and come back slowly. It was a big boost for me to be trusted in this manner,” he thanked TNCA and India Cements for their immense contribution to his return from injury.

Having grown up in the city from the age of ten, Aswin belonged to the best of cricketing teams in the city but success eluded him, as his team was handsomely beaten by DAV Mogappair’s U-13 side who had aced the occasion. Two of the best cricketers in that age group during that cricketing period, the twins - Baba Aparajith and Indrajith were leading the charge for the opponents, who outclassed them on that certain day. 

An easy go-to in terms of music for a person who grew up might be Illayaraja or AR Rahman, but his artist choice, just like his selection of role as a cricketer, is starkly different from the others. For him, it was the Canadian singer, The Weeknd, miles and miles away from his place in Chennai who ensured his sanity during the last few years.

“Actually no one has asked me about The Weeknd before. Of course in the last two-three years, my friends go out and play their matches, so I have to have someplace to unwind myself. So his music kept me going, his music or the lyrics isn’t exactly what has inspired me. His songs are dark, I have no idea how it kept me going, it is a bit weird, he doesn’t sing any inspirational songs. His music, his voice kept me occupied and that kept me going. According to me, The Weeknd is the best artist. It was an escape mechanism for me, it’s weird to think about it,” he concluded.