Ashwin took the tradition of spin bowling to next level: Harbhajan

Brisbane, Dec 18 (IANS) Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh congratulated Ravichandran Ashwin for an amazing career in international cricket, saying the retiring off-spinner elevated spin bowling to the next level.

Ashwin, 38, made the announcement of retiring from international cricket with immediate effect after India’s third Test against Australia, a game he was not selected for, ended in a draw at the Gabba, Brisbane.

“Congratulations, Ashwin, for a brilliant career—an outstanding career, I’d rather say. You’ve taken the tradition of spin bowling to the next level. You’ve inspired the next generation. Thank you very much for all the efforts, all the wickets, and everything you have done on the field. Well done to you. Good luck going forward, and I hope we meet often now,” said Harbhajan to Star Sports.

Ashwin ends his 14-year international career with 537 wickets at average of 24 in 106 Tests and becoming India’s second-leading wicket-taker after legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble. He also scored six Test centuries and 14 fifties with the bat.

His last international game was the day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide, where he took 1-53 in his 18 overs and made 29 runs with the bat, as India lost by ten wickets. Ashwin also played 116 ODIs for India, taking 156 wickets, and being a member of 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy winning teams. Ashwin also played 65 T20I matches and took 72 wickets.

Former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden, who was team-mates with Ashwin in IPL for the Chennai Super Kings, called the retiring off-spinner a very smart cricketer who was always dedicated to the job in hand.

“He’s a cricketer who just stays on task, always working out a cunning plan. He’s got great belief in his own ability. He’s quite polarizing in many ways when it comes to the cricketing public, and even to his own team—he’s a very strong-minded person. But I personally want to wish Ashwin a wonderful retirement. I’ve been very privileged to share many a bus-side seat on the way to the ground in Tamil Nadu, at the beautiful Chepauk Stadium, and with the Chennai Super Kings. As a young kid, as I was coming to the end of my career, he’d cuddle up.

“We’d talk about the game—how he could counteract the sweeper and why I swept. So, in many ways, it was a transference of information, much like what I had with Bishan Bedi years ago. He’s a lovely human being and a very enjoyable character to play with as well,” said Hayden.

Ashwin, who is the seventh-highest wicket-taker in men’s Test cricket, also won the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year Award and Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year award in 2016. The Chennai-born cricketer was also named in the ICC Test Team of the Decade 2011-20.

In Tests, Ashwin was one of the biggest match winners in the Indian team’s 12-year-long home dominance and played a starring role in the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy win in Australia. Ashwin was one of 11 allrounders to clinch the double of 3000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests. He also won a record 11 Player-of-the-Series awards, which is level with Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan.

Legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar stated an instance of Ashwin’s dedication to the Indian team, recalling his historic partnership with Hanuma Vihari in the third Test of the Australia series in 2021 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

“Yes, with Hanuma Vihari. He had a back spasm so bad that he couldn’t really get out of bed—his wife had to help him get to the ground. That tells you his determination when representing India. He just wouldn’t give up. He was playing with minimal movement. That strength of mind when playing for India has been amazing,” said Gavaskar.

–IANS

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