Former India coach Ravi Shastri has said that his continuous efforts to develop the recently retired Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the reasons why he stands out.
“What stood out for me was his desire to always develop. He wasn’t satisfied with where he started. For me it was his guile, wanting to be the best at his craft and (especially) the way he carried the ball in the last two or three years. Gave it a rip and let the batsman drift. Stand out,” Shastri said in ‘ICC Review’.
“He wanted to learn new moves. He pursued it, practiced hard and continued to keep up with the times, discovering new things as his career progressed. His legacy will be a terrific match-winner, a brilliant record, 537 wickets. I mean over 500 Nobody (in Test cricket) is special,” he added.
The spinner took a break from his career on Wednesday after the third Test match between India and Australia ended in a draw. Ashwin’s decision to retire in the middle of the series with two Tests remaining raised some eyebrows. In particular, the fifth Test will favor the spinners.
He played only one of the three Tests in Australia. He retired from the Indian cricket team with 537 Test caps to his name. His Test wicket tally is second highest for India only behind Anil Kumble’s 619.
Ashwin reached Chennai on Thursday and gave a message to his fans saying that he is not done with cricket.
Talking to the media, the Indian legend reiterated that he will continue to play for the Chennai Super Kings franchise in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.
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