He could have said, 'I am....': Sunil Gavaskar critical of R Ashwin's sudden international retirement

R Ashwin announced his international retirement soon after the third Test between India and Australiaat The Gabba, Brisbane, ended in a draw on Wednesday (Dec 18). After bad lightand rain played spoilsport in the Brisbane Test, Ashwin made the headlines for stepping aside from international cricket. He ends with 765 scalps—second-most by an Indian in internationals—and was hailed by many former cricketers for his contribution to Indian cricket. Sunil Gavaskar also lauded 'one heck of a cricketer' Ashwin but was critical of the timing of his call.

'Similarly, when MS Dhoni retiredin 2014-15 series, it leaves you one short'

Speaking to the broadcasters, Gavaskar said, "He could have said, 'Listen, after the end of the series, I won't be available for selection for India'. What it does is that, similarly, when MS Dhoni retired at the end of the 3rd Test of 2014-15 series, it leaves you one short. The selection committee has picked so many players for a tour with a purpose. If there are any injuries, they can select from the reserve players to have in the team. So, Sydney is somewhere where there is a lot of support on offer for spinners. So India could have played with 2 spinners. You never know. He could have been there for sure. I don't know what the pitch in Melbourne will be like."

"Normally, you tend to look at the end of the series. That's it. In the middle, it is not usual. Maybe Washington Sundar is ahead of him. Rohit said he is flying out tomorrow. So that's the end of Ashwin as an international cricketer. He has been one heck of a cricketer," Gavaskar further opined.

Ashwin only featured in the second Test, in Adelaide, in the ongoing BGT edition. Washington Sundar has been preferred over him in the recent past. Thus, it might have played a part in Ashwin's retirement call.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma, however, backed Ashwin's call. In the post-match presser, he said, "I heard R Ashwin’s retirement when I came to Perth. I was not there for the first few days of the Test. This was in his mind since then. There are obviously a lot of things that went behind it. Ashwin, when he is in position, will be able to answer that. He understands the kind of combinations we are thinking. When we came here as well, we were not sure which spinner was going to play. We just wanted to assess and see what kind of conditions we get in front of us. But yeah, when I arrived in Perth, we had a chat and somehow convinced him to stay for the pink-ball Test match. It happened so that he felt, 'If I am not needed right now in the series, then I am better off saying goodbye to the game'."

"Keeping Ashwin in mind, if this is what he thinks, we should allow him to think that way. We should all standby his call. That is what I am thinking right now, and that's the same mindset of Gautam Gambhir as well. It's important a player like him who has had great moments with the team is allowed to make such a call," Rohit added.

Ashwin signs off with537, 156, and 72 wickets in Tests, ODIs, and T20Isrespectively. He played 106 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 72 T20Is for Indiafrom 2010 to 2024and was part of the 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy wins. The 38-year-old ends as India's second-highest wicket-taker in Tests and overall (765).