R Ashwin on Wednesday called it a day of his international career. The off-spinner has taken 537 Test wickets and is regarded as the best of his generation. Former Chennai Super Kings Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden, recalling his conversations with Ashwin in his early days, said the “transfer of information” was similar to what he had with the late Bishan Singh Bedi.
“I was very privileged to share a bus-side seat at the Tamil Nadu ground, at the beautiful Chepauk Stadium, and with the Chennai Super Kings. As a young kid, when I was coming to the end of my career, he would give me a hug, and we would talk about the game – how he would sweep the sweeper. Can resist and why I swept. So, in many ways, it was a transfer of information, which I did with Bishan Bedi years ago. He is a beautiful human being and a lot to play with A fun character,” Hayden said while speaking to Star Sports.
Apart from the impeccable craft of off-spin bowling, Ashwin was also a thinking cricketer and always had a plan up his sleeve to get the better of the batsman. “A very smart cricketer. And you know, he’s a cricketer who stays on the job, always comes up with a cunning plan. He has great confidence in his abilities. He’s polarizing in many ways when it comes to the cricketing public, and his own team too – he’s a A very strong minded person. But I personally wish Ashwin a good retirement,” Hayden said.
Ashwin made his IPL debut for CSK against the West Indies in 2011 on the back of an impressive performance. Apart from 537 Test wickets, Ashwin has also taken 156 ODI wickets and 72 T20 wickets. The 38-year-old said that despite retiring from international cricket, he will remain a part of India’s domestic cricket and was also picked up by CSK in the recent auction after Rajasthan Royals decided to let him go.
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