"He should have played a lot more of one-day cricket" - When Gautam Gambhir opined that R Ashwin was underutilized as a white-ball bowler
Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, December 18. He ended his career as India's second-leading wicket-taker in international cricket. The 38-year-old picked up 765 wickets across the three formats of the game, next only to Anil Kumble's 953.
Of his international scalps, 537 came in the Test format from 106 Tests. Ashwin averaged an impressive 24 in the red-ball format, with 37 five-fers and eight 10-wicket match hauls, including best innings figures of 7-59.
Speaking to Sportskeeda earlier, Team India's current head coach Gautam Gambhir had opined that Ashwin had the ability to be a highly successful all-rounder in the one-day format for the Men in Blue. He said:
"Very good (his evolution as a bowler). In fact, if there is one area of disappointment, it is that I feel he should have played a lot more of one-day cricket. The kind of bowler that he is - someone who can take 500 Test wickets. ... I don't know how many ODIs he has played, but if he had featured in more one-day games, the country could have seen his potential, not only as a bower, but an all-rounder as well."
Sharing his thoughts on why Ashwin wasn't as prolific in his white-ball career as he was in Test cricket, the former India cricketer had explained:
"But again, many times there are things like team combination (that come into the picture). Sometimes captains have a different thought process. Some prefer wrist-spinners who can take wickets in the middle.
"I think Ashwin had that quality to play more white-ball cricket for India," Gambhir concluded.
Ashwin was a part of the Indian squad that won the 2011 ODI World Cup at home. He also featured in the 2013 Champions Trophy triumph in England.
A glance at Ashwin's record in ODIs and T20Is
Looking at Ashwin's white-ball career for India, the 38-year-old played 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is. He picked up 156 wickets in the one-day format at an average of 33.20, with a best of 4-25, which was registered against UAE in 2015. The off-spinner also claimed 72 scalps in T20Is at an average of 23.22 and an economy rate of 6.90, with a best of 4-8.