Would Ravichandran Ashwin have retired midway through the India vs Australia Test series if Virat Kohli had been the captain? Basit Ali says no. The former Pakistan cricketer thinks Ashwin would have waited until at least the end of the series and then called it quits. But he isn’t just blaming captain Rohit Sharma but also the current head coach, Gautam Gambhir, as well.
Something not right between Rohit Sharma & Ashwin?
The cricketer-turned-YouTuber suggests that something clearly wasn’t right. Ashwin, who was supposed to leave for home the next day, left as soon as possible. Basit added that Rohit and Gambhir should have convinced Ashwin to stay, but the fact that they couldn’t might suggest that all’s not right.
“I guarantee if Virat Kohli was captain, he wouldn’t have let Ashwin retire and would have told him to announce it after two matches. Why? Because India will need him in Sydney. If Rahul Dravid or Ravi Shastri was India coach, they also would not have let Ashwin retire at this moment. It’s bad that Rohit and Gambhir could not convince him and say ‘not at this time, these two Test matches you are needed’, and for sure in Sydney,” said Basit on his YouTube channel.
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Match-winner Ashwin
He understands that Ashwin‘s quality might have dipped a little bit with age, but for him to retire midway through doesn’t suit someone of his stature. He called the off-spinner a series winner for India, and that’s certainly true, as no one had more ‘Player of the Series’ awards than Ashwin in Test cricket history.
“There are some things you can’t speak, but are still understood. Body language tells everything; the way he (Ashwin) hugged Virat Kohli (in the dressing room). I agree he is not the same bowler, but not that bad that you put him under so much pressure…537 (Test) wickets are a lot. Ashwin was not a match-winner, he was a series-winner…Red-ball cricket is the highest level. Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Ashwin — they were series-winners,” Basit concluded.
