India legend Ravichandran Ashwin revealed the reason behind his decision to retire midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series in Australia. However, former India captain Kapil Dev expressed disappointment over Ravichandran Ashwin’s decision, adding that he should have waited.
India tested three spinners during the first three Tests of the BGT. Washington Sundar played the first match, and Ravichandran Ashwin replaced him for the second. Ravindra Jadeja took Ashwin’s spot for the third Test. Ashwin surprised everyone with his retirement announcement after the third Test in Brisbane.
Ravichandran Ashwin Is a Very Strong-Headed Guy – Kapil Dev
Speaking to Gulf News, Kapil Dev opened up about Ashwin’s decision to retire midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Dev stated that Ashwin could have waited until after the Sydney Test to make the announcement, adding that his timing could have been better.
“Ashwin is a very strong-headed guy. It’s good to see such characters in cricketers. I felt a little sad when he left in the middle of the tour. He was a great cricketer India has produced and served the game so well, but he should have waited and done it differently. Nevertheless, what he did for the country is unbelievable,” Kapil said.
The 38-year-old spinner’s performance was below his usual standards in the home series against New Zealand, taking nine wickets at an average of 41.22. Ashwin retired with 537 wickets in 106 Tests, including 37 five-wicket hauls. He was only behind Anil Kumble (619) among India’s all-time wicket-takers.
He Might Have Been Hurt by Being Pushed Behind Sundar – Bharat Arun
Bharat Arun, the former bowling coach, said Ashwin might have been “hurt” after being replaced by Washington Sundar in the first Test. Arun added that while Ashwin had previously been replaced by Ravindra Jadeja on overseas tours, this situation seemed to affect him more.
“In the very first Test of the tour, a big star like Ravichandran Ashwin was snubbed for a youngster like Washington Sundar. That would certainly have hurt him. In the past, Ravindra Jadeja played ahead of Ashwin a lot in overseas tours but I don’t think Ashwin was affected by that. But I feel that this time around, he might have been hurt by being pushed behind Sundar in the pecking order,” Bharat Arun said.
Ravichandran Ashwin is 8th on the List of Leading Test Wicket-Takers
Ravichandran Ashwin retired as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in international cricket, with 765 wickets across all formats, trailing only Anil Kumble (953). Ashwin is 8th among the leading wicket-takers in Test cricket. He also scored 3,503 runs at an average of 25.76, including six centuries in Tests.
The all-time leading Test wicket-taker is Muttiah Muralitharan (800), followed by Shane Warne (708) and James Anderson (704). Ashwin is expected to continue playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, after being purchased for a massive Rs 9.75 crore in the mega auction.
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