New Delhi: Ravichandran Ashwin received his first international call-up for an at-home series against South Africa in April 2010, but it took him nearly ten months to play back-to-back ODIs for India. He was chosen because the first two ODIs were postponed because of the wedding of his sister, premier off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

There are no prizes for figuring out that Ashwin sat out the entire series. To receive his India cap, he had to wait until the Zimbabwe tour a few months later. He only participated in one ODI, but he did well with both bat and ball, recording 2/50 and tallying 38.

On that Zimbabwe tour, he also participated in a few T20I matches. Since there weren't many T20Is during that time, Ashwin's next opportunity to play for India came only in an ODI against Australia in October.

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But Ashwin didn't get to play in a series of consecutive games in an ODI until he faced New Zealand a month later. He took part in all five games of India's 5-0 victory in that series. The selectors were persuaded by his 11 wickets in the series that he was capable of earning a spot in India's renowned 2011 World Cup squad.

Harbhajan was India's go-to spinner there, so Ashwin wasn't the first choice, but he played in two games: one against West Indies in the group stage and one against Australia in the quarterfinal. The lead spinner position in all three formats was gradually taken over by Ashwin after the World Cup, but it took the Tamil Nadu cricketer almost a year to play regularly and firmly establish his place in the starting lineup.

About 12 years later, while discussing Ishan Kishan, Ashwin, who is currently India's second-highest wicket-taker in Test matches, reflected on his early years. For the most part, Ashwin admitted he didn't get to play much for the Indian team, but those years had a significant impact on how his career developed.

"In my formative years in 2009 when I joined the squad, I used to be a waterboy in the initial years. I didn’t get many chances in the playing XI, but I had been in the squad. Those years are really important for learning as a player," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

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Ashwin found similarities with Kishan. "Ishan Kishan has been on the bench for so many years now. He scored a double hundred against Bangladesh in ODIs, he has performed well whenever he has gotten an opportunity. He will be in the squad, but he won’t be in the playing XI consistently," Ashwin added.

Ashwin spoke highly of the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter who was the top-scorer in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies. "Ishan Kishan played outstandingly throughout the entire series. Actually, that’s a big positive. Whenever Ishan Kishan has gotten opportunities in the white ball format, he has used them really well. Even in the last Test match when he got an opportunity to bat higher up the order, he scored a quickfire half-century."

Kishan's positive attitude has impressed Ashwin the most. "He is an outstanding guy. He is a jolly person, and he will always be ready for anything. For example, if any player is playing, he will first take the gloves of those players and be ready. He will arrange their bats if they require a change at any point. He will make all the players feel comfortable around him. He will entertain all the players in the dressing room. He doesn’t have one negative energy in his body. He is the embodiment of positivity. It feels really good to see him do well whenever he gets an opportunity," Ashwin said.

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