Ravichandran AshwinThe unexpected retirement from international cricket has polarized people over the timing of his decision, with some former players taking issue with the fact that he did not wait until the end of the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series in Australia.
Ashwin called time on his 14-year career after the draw of the third Test in Brisbane on Wednesday and flew back home the same day and arrived in Chennai on Thursday morning.
Speaking on the development, former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali opined that if Virat Kohli Had he been the Indian captain at that time, he would have convinced Ashwin to postpone his announcement until the end of BGT.
“I guarantee that if Virat Kohli is the captain, he will not retire Ashwin and will tell him to announce it after two games. Why? Because India needs him in Sydney,” Basit said in his said on the YouTube channel. “If Rahul Dravid or Ravi Shastri were the coach of the Indian team, they would not let Ashwin retire at this time.”
The BGT series currently has a record of 1-1, with the last two test matches being held in Melbourne and Sydney.
Basit, 53, added: “It’s bad that Rohit and Gambhir couldn’t convince him and say ‘not now, you are needed for these two Test matches’ and certainly in Sydney.”
Basit said Ashwin’s sudden decision in an important series was a bit mysterious and his body language said a lot.
“There are some things you can’t say but still understand. The body language says it all; the way he (Ashwin) hugged Virat Kohli (in the dressing room),” Basit said. “I agree he’s not the same bowler, but it’s not like he’s been put under that much pressure… 537 (Test) wickets is a lot.”
Ashwin’s wicket tally in Test cricket is only behind Indian bowler Anil Kumble’s 619, making him one of the legends of the game.
He ended up playing 106 Test matches, with the pink-ball match in Adelaide being his last appearance for India. He also scored six Test hundreds in his career, which also made him the highest-ranked Test all-rounder in the ICC rankings.
In white-ball cricket, Ashwin played 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is, taking 156 and 72 wickets respectively.
“Ashwin is not a match winner, he is a series winner… Red-ball cricket is at the highest level. Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Ashwin – they A series winner,” Buster concluded.
