Former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin recently talked about the surprising retirement of Indian spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. After the third Test in Brisbane ended in a draw, Ashwin announced he was stepping away from international cricket, leaving many fans and players in shock.
Ashwin didn’t play in that match, and prior to it, he appeared in the pink-ball Test at Adelaide, where he scored a total of 29 runs and took one wicket. Earlier in the series, India suffered a shocking loss to New Zealand in a Test match at home, which was a big surprise since they hadn’t lost like that in 12 years. Ashwin, known for being a top performer in India’s Test matches, expressed his frustration after not being chosen to play.
On the Willow Talk podcast, Haddin commented, “India started this series not knowing their best spin option, and it’s a bit strange that Ashwin decided to retire mid-series. It seems like he was upset not being picked.” Haddin believes Ashwin views himself as the best spinner and didn’t want to sit on the bench if the team didn’t think he was essential. “He’s accomplished a lot and probably feels he doesn’t need to keep playing if he’s not the first choice,” Haddin explained.
India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3, finishing after losing the fifth Test at Sydney. With this defeat, India can no longer compete for the ICC World Test Championship final next year, as Australia and South Africa have already secured their spots.
Over his career, Ashwin played 106 Tests, taking 537 wickets with an average of 24.00 and achieving best figures of 7/59. He claimed 37 five-wicket hauls and is now the second-highest wicket-taker for India, right behind Anil Kumble. Ashwin also scored 3,503 runs in Tests, including six centuries.
In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he took 156 wickets and scored 707 runs. Overall, Ashwin collected 765 wickets across all formats, making him India’s second-highest wicket-taker. He was also a vital member of the Indian teams that won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013
Leave a Reply