Admitting that he would “miss” all the time spent with Ravichandran Ashwin on-field, India top all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja said he came to know about his compatriot’s international retirement just five minutes before the announcement. After all, one cannot remember times when the two dynamic bowlers have not bowled in tandem leading India to victories. This series was all about Test matches where the duo always proved to be a source of strength especially at home.
Everything comes to an end; and under the gloomy skied Brisbane, this match-winning partnership ended after the third Test against Australia.
Ashwin stepped out, along with captain Rohit Sharma, for a press conference announcing the cricketer’s retirement from further international cricket.
Jadeja, who has shared the field with Ashwin not only just with the Indian team but also in the IPL, wasn’t aware of the decision of his “on-field mentor.”
“I got to know about it at the last moment, almost five minutes before the press conference. Someone told me it was about to happen. We spent the whole day together, and he didn’t even give me a hint. I got to know at the last minute. We all know how Ashwin’s mind works,” Jadeja chuckled as he told reporters in Melbourne.
“He played the role of on-field mentor for me. We have bowled together so long and spend years together. We used to talk to each other through those micro messages on the field when there was some match situation to decipher. I am going to miss all these things,” he mentioned.
It left a substantial gap regarding playing for India in red-ball cricket when Ashwin called it quits. The rise of Washington Sundar could be interpreted as him in very long-term plans to replace Ashwin .
Jadeja, however, is optimistic and expresses that an even better version of Ashwin will be found by the Indian team in the future even as stressing that it is time to move on.
“Hopefully Indi has a better all-rounder and bowler. It’s not that no one can replace players; everyone goes, but you get the replacement. Have to move on. It would be moving on. A great chance for young guys to catch it,” he stated in his note
In his glorious career, Ashwin played 106 matches in Tests, took 537 wickets along with 37 five-wicket hauls, and also scored 3,503 runs. More than these imposing numbers would suggest, one can argue that his contributions to Indian cricket are far greater.
