Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was unhappy with the timing of Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement amid the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gavaskar opined that the Tamil Nadu’s spinner absence will hurt India as they still have a tall task in the IND vs AUS Test series that is currently poised 1-1. With the help of rain and some strong bowling, India managed to draw the 3rd Test in Brisbane, keeping their hopes of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final alive.
Gavaskar unhappy with timing of Ashwin’s retirement
Speaking on commentary after IND vs AUS 3rd Test, Gavaskar drew a parallel between MS Dhoni and Ashwin‘s retirement, pointing out that the two had decided to call it a time in their career midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Dhoni had announced his retirement from Tests after the 3rd Test during the 2014-15 series. He feared that Ashwin’s absence will leave India “one player short’.
“He could have said, ‘Listen, after the end of the series, I won’t be available for selection for India’. What it does is that, similarly when MS Dhoni retired at the end of the third Test in the 2014-15 series, it leaves you one (player) short,” Gavaskar said.
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He added it was unusual for a player to retire mid-way through a series, noting that most reserved the decision for the end of a tour. Gavaskar claimed that Ashwin could have come of good use for India in the 5th Test in Sydney, pointing out that players were selected for the series with a purpose.
A career that started in 2010, Ashwin saw many ups — along with winning the 2011 World Cup, 2013 Champions Trophy, and two-time finalist of the World Test Championships. It must be admitted that R Ashwin proved to be the most effective in Test matches, where he not only won numerous matches for India with ball, but with the bat as well.
