NEW DELHI, June 18: Premier Indian off-spinner R Ashwin has described Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a �massive influence� on his career, revealing that at the beginning of his IPL stint, he was driven by an intense desire to get the former captain�s attention.
Ashwin got his contract with CSK, one of the most successful IPL sides, in 2008 and said the stint with CSK shaped his career.
�IPL and CSK is a stage that everyone wants. For me it was more about recognition. MSD did not know who Ashwin is, (Matthew) Hayden and (Muttiah) Muralithan did not know who Ashwin is. The first thing that came to my mind was that �I will show these people that Ashwin is here�,� Ashwin told Harsha Bhogle on �Cricbuzz in Conversation�.
�I don�t know it was being foolish or arrogance but that was how I was made. Nobody was giving me a chance that Ashwin will play alongside Muralitharan or ahead of Muralitharan. I thought, I will get there ahead of him one day,� he added. � PTI
