In conversation with veteran sports journalist Ayaz Memon, where he talks about the retirement of one of India’s greatest match-winners, as also the third and most dramatic Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy this series.
106 test matches, 537 wickets at an average of 24, including 37 fifers, and with the bat, 3,503 runs, including six centuries. One of India's greatest test players, perhaps the best match-winner of his generation and perhaps top two or three overall, has retired today. R. Ashwin has called time on his international career. We don't know the reason why he did so in the middle of the series, but you saw that emotional hug with Virat Kohli in the dressing room and high praise from captain Rohit Sharma in the press conference. So, what are your initial reactions?
We've lost one of the most stellar match-winners that India has ever had. I think if you look at this century, I'm not going too far back in time, I'm not going to talk about even Sachin who retired in 2013 or Gavaskar or Kapil Dev, but in this century, you can count on your fingers how many real match-winners there have been. Jasprit Bumrah is a great addition to that list; there has been M.S. Dhoni of course, there's Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and then there's R. Ashwin. The stats you mentioned are testimony to what a remarkable cricketer he has been, especially in red-ball cricket—537 wickets in 106 Test matches is a staggering stat. Not many bowlers in the history of the game average more than five wickets per Test but there he is. And he did so at a terrific average and strike rate. So, I think he's going to be a big loss to Indian cricket.
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Where do India go now because they've lost not only a spinner but a senior leader in the leadership group? Also, as a fan, you would have hoped for one more match in India and especially in Chennai, right?
He’s got a mind of his own, doesn't he? We've seen that often enough. He's a strong personality, he's a strong character. So, it's difficult to pinpoint what triggered this decision in the middle of a Test series. I personally feel he could have waited till the end of the series. I was listening to some of the analysis by Sunil Gavaskar and I think he's quite right. To retire in the middle of a series means you're, in a sense, limiting the options for the captain and the coach going ahead. Now, we've seen that happen earlier. We saw that with Dhoni who, in 2014-15 in Australia, gave up not just the captaincy, but Test cricket altogether. So, maybe it's something to do with the modern cricketer's mindset. I think somewhere he (Ashwin) might have sensed that he may not have any role to play in the remaining two matches. Especially with [Ravindra] Jadeja coming good with the bat.
Though in Sydney, which traditionally helps spinners, one would have thought that India might go back to Ashwin for one last fling, as it were. Last throw of the dice if the series is on the edge. And he's also a decent batsman. So, I really don't know. We'll have to wait and see after he returns from Australia because he's not even staying there. He's going to come back immediately after the Brisbane Test.
A point about his legacy now. Not only does he take wickets, not only does he score runs and win matches for India, but his legacy extends beyond that. I mean, he is the reason the “Mankad” has been normalised to a certain extent. He once retired himself out in an IPL game and he came up with innovations in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. And he's still going to play club cricket, franchise cricket, as it were. But what legacy does he leave behind?
It’s not a one-dimensional legacy. You mentioned about Mankad actually now being removed from the cricket lexicon, so to speak. As I mentioned, he's not just a terrific match-winner. His skills as a bowler are now legendary. When you talk of legacy, we all grew up listening to the exploits or learning about the exploits of the fab four spinners that we had.
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You know, Bedi, Chandrasekhar, Prasanna and Venkatraghavan. And somewhere, this belief was sunk into our heads that there can't be a better spinner than those four. But then came Anil Kumble. And you know, he got more wickets and he was a terrific match-winner. And then there's Ashwin, who's come in and been as effective as Kumble. Maybe not so much overseas, but certainly at home. Along with the fact that he has also made 3,500 runs, which makes him a top-notch all-rounder. You're talking of an all-rounder who could actually, on some pitches, in some situations, be chosen for his batting alone. So he's leaving behind a legacy of an extraordinary cricketer of terrific all-round prowess. And also, he is somebody who spoke his mind, not hesitant to call a spade a spade. Sometimes he called it a shovel. And as I mentioned, getting Mankaded removed from the lexicon. I think the modern ethos of cricketers seems to be push the envelope as much as you can. As long as you are still within the framework of the rules of the game, let's push the boundaries and see what happens. And I think Ashwin was a votary of that kind of thought process.
Where do you think he heads now? Commentary gig or a coaching stint? Rohit Sharma told journalists at the press conference that Ashwin will be with them in a year or two.
Why in a year or two? He's already there. He's pretty much a part of the media, isn't he? He's got his own YouTube channel where he's already gathered a huge following. So I see that as a natural extension because he's an articulate person. You might think that he's a great theoretician, but he's also got 15 to 16 years of playing experience, which he can kind of juxtapose to what the demands will be for him as a mediaperson. So I think he's going to make a lot of headway there. And then, of course, there is the option of coaching, because somebody with his enormous experience would be of great value to any team. Of course, right now, it's like a ghar wapsi for him at the Chennai Super Kings. So everybody will be looking forward to what he does in the IPL.
So lastly, I suppose we should also talk about that match. What drama, but unfortunately, cut short by rain. I mean, if we did get a full day's play, you could have had a result either way. Such was the drama. So, given that the series is now 1-1, how do you think India go into Melbourne? Do they go into it with more confidence? One, because of this performance, especially by Bumrah and Akash Deep, but also because we now know that Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the series. And apparently, Travis Head also has a groin injury and might not play.
Things have levelled out quite a bit. I mean, yes, Australia were still ahead in this match. So in that sense, you would say that it would be advantage Australia in Melbourne. But not by much. I laud the spirit that India showed in avoiding the follow-on, especially the tailenders. But before them, the way K.L. Rahul—who has been the outstanding batter from India—and Jadeja made runs. You're still waiting for the top guns, you know, Rohit and Virat, to start firing. If that happens, then this batting looks formidable. The bowlers are doing extremely well. Bumrah is looming large over the Australians. He's keeping them on tenterhooks. Siraj, I think, has been an absolutely superb foil to Bumrah. And Akash Deep has shown that he deserves to be there. So India's pace attack, not too much behind Australia's. In fact, I would say that they are level now. What with Josh Hazlewood not there. And Nathan Lyon not looking as dangerous as I thought he would be at the start of the series. I thought he would be a danger man.
If Travis Head doesn't take the field, then that's a big blow to Australia. Remember, Australia have as many problems in the batting as India have had. [Usman] Khawaja hasn't got going. [Nathan] McSweeney hasn't got going. [Marnus] Labuschagne has just one half-century to show. [Steve] Smith has a hundred in this match, but otherwise he's got a string of low scores, much like Kohli. This period till the Boxing Day Test match allows the Indian team to regroup, reassess their tactics, their strategies. Now with the knowledge that Ashwin is no longer an option. So a lot of things could fall into place. But hey, I think ultimately it's what you do on the field that matters. So we'll have to wait and see how India fare in Melbourne.
