Melbourne [Australia], January 8 (ANI): Former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin suggested that legendary spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy stemmed from frustration over not being selected in the playing eleven.
The veteran all-rounder sent shockwaves through the cricketing fraternity by announcing his retirement from international cricket following the draw in the third Test at Brisbane. Notably, Ashwin had not played in that match. He featured in the pink-ball Test at Adelaide Oval, scoring 29 runs across both innings and taking one wicket. Before this series, he was part of India’s shocking home Test series loss to New Zealand, their first in 12 years. Ashwin had been one of the key architects of India’s dominant Test run at home.
Speaking on the Willow Talk podcast, Haddin said, “The first three Test matches, they played three different spinners, so they arrived here not knowing what their game style is going to be around here. It should not be a shock when you get here, they have played here enough, they have success here so the Ashwin retiring mid-series was a funny one. I do not think we have heard the last of that yet. I think he was just jack of not getting picked.”
Haddin further added that Ashwin likely sees himself as the “number one spinner” and decided to retire on his own terms rather than sit on the bench if he was not considered essential.
“I think he sees himself as the number one spinner. His record is elite, and he just went, ‘You know what I am not sitting on the bench. If you cannot decide that I am your best spinner, I am done. I have played enough. I do not need this.’ I do not think we have heard the end of that,” Haddin added.
India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3, succumbing to a six-wicket defeat in the fifth and final Test at Sydney after setting Australia a target of 162 runs. With this loss, India is officially out of contention for the ICC World Test Championship final at Lord’s in June next year, as Australia and South Africa have sealed their places.
In 106 Tests for India, the legendary all-rounder took 537 wickets at an average of 24.00, with best figures of 7/59. He claimed 37 five-wicket hauls and eight ten-wicket match hauls in his Test career. He is the eighth-highest wicket-taker in Tests overall and the second-highest for India, behind Anil Kumble (619 wickets). Ashwin also holds the record for the second-most five-wicket hauls in Tests, trailing only Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (67).
With the bat, Ashwin scored 3,503 runs at an average of 25.75, including six centuries and 14 fifties in 151 innings, with a highest score of 124.
In 116 ODIs, Ashwin took 156 wickets at an average of 33.20, with best figures of 4/25. He also scored 707 runs at an average of 16.44, including one fifty, a knock of 65 in 63 innings. He is the 13th-highest wicket-taker for India in the format.
Across all formats, Ashwin took 765 wickets in 287 matches, making him India’s second-highest wicket-taker after Anil Kumble (953 wickets).
Ashwin was also a key member of the Indian teams that won the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. (ANI)
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