Former India skipper Kapil Dev was not happy that the star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin retired from international cricket without getting a proper farewell. Earlier on Wednesday, Ashwin appeared alongside India’s captain Rohit Sharma at the post-match press conference to make the announcement. Speculation about his retirement had intensified after Ashwin became visibly emotional and was embraced by Virat Kohli.
“The next generation has to be better than us. If not, the world is not going ahead. We never imagined that somebody would come close to Sachin Tendulkar or Sunil Gavaskar…Ashwin has gone. I wish I had been there, I wouldn’t have let him go like that. I would have sent him with a lot of respect and happiness,” Kapil Dev said as quoted by ANI.
Ashwin finishes his career with 537 wickets in 106 Test matches, placing him seventh on the all-time wicket-takers list, behind Anil Kumble’s tally of 619 for India. His strike rate of 50.73 is the highest among the nine bowlers with over 500 wickets, while his bowling average of 24 ranks third. He achieved five or more wickets in a Test innings on 37 occasions, a number bettered only by Muttiah Muralitharan, who achieved it 67 times. Shane Warne also managed this feat on 37 occasions. Ashwin has also claimed ten or more wickets in a Test match eight times, the highest among Indian bowlers, alongside Kumble.
Ashwin’s remarkable success at home has contributed significantly to India’s impressive record in home Tests over the past decade. He has played every home Test since his debut in 2011, spanning 65 matches. Of those 65 home Tests, India won 47; only Sachin Tendulkar has featured in more Test wins (52). Among all players, only Alastair Cook (89) played more home Tests than Ashwin without missing any. Among all-rounders, the previous highest was Tony Greig (31), and among bowlers, it was Dilip Doshi (21).
The Tamil Nadu cricketer is the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket and the second-highest for India, trailing only the legendary Anil Kumble. Ashwin’s tally of five-wicket hauls is second only to Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan.
Kapil Dev, who led India to its maiden World Cup triumph in 1983, also highlighted the evolution of Indian cricket and the legacy left behind by players like Ashwin. “The next generation has to be better than us. If not, the world is not going ahead. We never imagined that somebody would come close to Sachin Tendulkar or Sunil Gavaskar,” Kapil said.
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