Delhi, December 20, 2024 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau): Ravichandran Ashwin, 38, shocked the world when he announced his retirement following the conclusion of the third Test between India and Australia at the Gabba, Brisbane. The second-highest wicket-taker for India across formats, Ashwin did not mince his words, saying he still has “punch” left in him as a cricketer, but his time as an Indian international cricketer is up. The off-spinner brought the curtain down on an illustrious career after scalping 765 wickets, 537 of those in Test cricket.
Since the beginning of his career, Ashwin has been an ardent student of the game, always wanting to grow and add more tricks up his sleeve. WV Raman knows Ashwin better than most. He was the coach of Tamil Nadu when Ashwin made his First-Class debut. In an interaction with Hindustan Times, Raman spoke about what made Ashwin a special talent from the very start.
“It must have come as a surprise. Obviously, it was not something hinted at any time in the preceding weeks. However, what happens is that no cricketer can predict when it’s enough. That’s something nobody knows. Because one fine morning, you wake up, you suddenly decide that ‘enough is enough’. You can’t do the same thing again and again,” said Raman.
“If you just lose it mentally, that’s about it. And that’s something nobody can predict when it can happen.”
Contrary to the general belief that Ashwin burst onto the scene through his Indian Premier League (IPL) gig with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in truth, the off-spinner had been putting in the hard yards from years prior, when he made his First-Class debut in 2006 against Haryana at 20.
Summary: WV Raman praises R. Ashwin for “punching above his weight,” likening his legacy to Tendulkar’s for overcoming challenges throughout his career.