Legendary cricketer Anil Kumble has stated that India did not utilise Ravichandran Ashwin and said that he should have played overseas matches.
Ashwin announced his retirement after the end of the third test which resulted in a draw. He walked into the press conference with captain Rohit Sharma stating that it was his last day as an international cricketer.
Kumble who is the highest wicket-taker for India in tests, has heaped praise for Ashwin mentioning him as match winner.
“Ravichandran Ashwin is a matchwinner. He is a thorough professional who has excelled throughout his career. Every time you watch him bowl, you can see that he wants to get better and is trying to outwit the batter in any circumstance. You want to see that in any cricketer, and he’s done that for 14–15 years,” wrote Kumble.
Kumble also highlight the downfalls of the Indian team in utilising Ashwin to his fullest during his career.
“Unfortunately, the team management did not consistently select Ashwin to play in England, South Africa, and Australia, which has always perplexed me. With Ravindra Jadeja bowling in tandem, India could have had these two in every match.”
“Ashwin has consistently picked wickets on every surface he has played on. So to typecast him as a spinner, mostly in subcontinent conditions, is not fair.”
Ashwin said about the timing and farewell Ashwin received for his retirement, and Kumble shared his disappointment on the same, starting that the off-spinner deserved ‘a grand farewell’.
“Players who have contributed for such a long period deserve a grand farewell. They need to be sat down and offered an appropriate plan on how you want them to leave the game. I was very disappointed with the way Ashwin left,” Kumble wrote.
“Many cricketers in the past missed out on a farewell, too. The kind of benchmarks he has set won’t be easy for anyone to live up to. He served Indian cricket with distinction.”
Ashwin retires from the game as India’s second highest wicket-taker in tests with 537 scalps in 106 games only behind Anil Kumble who has 619 wickets. Ashwin has made 116 ODI appearance with 156 wickets while has 72 wickets in 65 T20Is.
Ashwin’s departure coincides with the peak performance of India’s spin bowling in Test cricket. He has been achieved the distinction of being the first bowler to reach 100 WTC wickets and currently leads the wicket-taking charts with 195 dismissals in 41 matches.
