Ravichandran Ashwin, a star Indian cricketer, recently surprised everyone by announcing his retirement from international cricket during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia. While he hasn’t provided specific reasons for his decision, it has led to a lot of speculation.
Reports suggest that Ashwin, who has been dealing with a knee injury, was thinking about retiring for some time. He even spoke to Indian team captain Rohit Sharma when he arrived in Australia last month. Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh believes Ashwin might have decided to step down after noticing that Washington Sundar was getting more chances to play.
Sundar returned to the Indian team unexpectedly during a home Test series against New Zealand in October. He impressed everyone with an incredible performance, taking 11 wickets in one match and doing well in another. Because of this, Sundar was selected for the tour of Australia, even playing in the first Test match ahead of Ashwin and another star, Ravindra Jadeja.
Ashwin played in the second Test, taking just one wicket before sitting out the next match to make room for Jadeja, who scored a key half-century. Harbhajan was surprised by Ashwin’s retirement news. He thought Ashwin would get a chance to play in the upcoming Tests in Sydney or Melbourne where spinners are crucial.
“I’m shocked by Ashwin’s decision. It’s surprising to hear this in the middle of a series, but we must respect what he has chosen. He is a fantastic bowler who has helped India win many matches. I wish him the best in his future,” Harbhajan said.
Harbhajan also mentioned that Ashwin likely noticed the management was focusing on younger players like Sundar. He explained that since India won’t be playing any Test matches at home until next October, they will be heading to England next summer for five matches, where only two spinners will be picked. It seems like Sundar and Jadeja might be chosen over Ashwin.
“This decision was probably not easy for him,” Harbhajan concluded. “With such a great record and so many wickets, Ashwin probably knew Sundar would be preferred moving forward.”
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