Rohit Sharma cheekily makes a prediction on Ravichandran Ashwin’s post-retirement career
Team India captain Rohit Sharma, in a cheeky manner, predicted that Ravichandran Ashwin is likely to be part of the cricket broadcast team in the next couple of years. The latter announced his unexpected retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, December 18, following the conclusion of the third India vs Australia Test at The Gabba in Brisbane.
Ashwin attended the post-match press conference with skipper Rohit to confirm his international retirement. He, however, did not take questions from the media, stating that he was not mentally ready for the same.
Following the off-spinner's exit from the press conference, Rohit was asked about how much the team will miss the talismanic cricketer. In his inimitable style, the Indian captain replied:
"Ashwin, I am sure, aap logon ke saath hi rahega woh ek do saal mein (He will be with you [broadcast team] in the next one or two years. So, we will keep bumping into Ash."
Asked about the veteran off-spinner's decision to quit in the middle of a Test series, Rohit said that it was the Tamil Nadu cricketer's personal choice and added that all the teammates completely respect his decision.
“Some decisions are very personal and I don’t think too many questions should be asked. If a player has a choice, he has to be given that choice and somebody like Ashwin, who has been there for us for so many years, is allowed to make these kind of decisions and we as teammates have to respect it. He was very sure about what he wanted to do and the team completely backed his thought process,” the 37-year-old commented.
Ashwin was not picked in the playing XI for the opening Test against Australia in Perth. The off-spinner was brought into the playing XI in place of Washington Sundar for the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. He picked up 1-53 from 18 overs in the first innings. The spinner was subsequently replaced by Ravindra Jadeja for the third Test at The Gabba.
What Ashwin said while announcing his retirement
Speaking to the media in Brisbane while announcing his retirement, Ashwin admitted that there is still some punch left in him, but added that he now like to showcase his skills at the club level.
"This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level. I do feel there's a bit of punch left in there, but I would like to expose and probably showcase that in club-level cricket. But this will be the last day and I got a lot of fun," the 38-year-old said.
Ashwin ended his career with 765 wickets from 287 international matches, averaging 25.80, with 37 five-fers - all of which came in the Test format.