The 3-match ODI series between India and New Zealand starts tomorrow (January 10). The first match will be played in Vadodar. Many unknown players have got a place in the New Zealand squad for this series, including the name of Aditya Ashok. Senior Kiwi players are currently busy playing in T20 leagues across the world. In such a situation, new players like Aditya Ashok have got a chance to show their talent.

23-year-old Aditya Ashok has so far played 2 ODI Internationals and 1 T20I match for New Zealand. This leg spinner has returned to the Kiwi team after two years. He is being groomed as a replacement for Ish Sodhi. India-born Aditya will be desperate to cement his place in the team by performing well against Team India.

Tattoo made of Rajinikanth’s dialogue

Aditya was born in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. When he was 4 years old, his family moved to Auckland, New Zealand. It is here that he has traveled to the New Zealand team by playing cricket. Aditya has played Under-19 World Cup for New Zealand in 2020. He performed well for Auckland in all three formats in 2022-23, for which he was awarded the ‘Young Cricketer of the Year Award’.

He was soon included in the New Zealand team. After making his T20I debut on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tour, Aditya played the first ODI match of his career in Bangladesh. After this, he stayed away from the field due to back injury. Now he is completely ready to return to international cricket. Some of Aditya’s relatives also live in Vadodara, in front of whom he would like to perform well. He is a big fan of Rajinikanth. He has got the famous dialogue of Rajinikanth’s film ‘Mera Anokha Tarika Hai’ tattooed on his bowling hand.

How is your professional career?

Aditya has played 23 First Class, 39 List-A and 32 T20 matches so far in his professional cricket career. He has 78 wickets in his name in First Class, while 52 wickets are recorded in List-A. Aditya has taken 31 wickets in T20. Aditya has a sharp googly, which makes him dangerous. He has trained at the CSK Academy in Chennai, which gave him an opportunity to hone his bowling.