Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has supported head India men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir, saying his approach puts the team ahead of individuals, while also speaking about his retirement, his time with India cricket team, and the current state of Test cricket.Speaking at RevSportz’s Trailblazers, Ashwin said he sensed the end of his Test career during the opening match of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series in Perth.“At Perth (the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25), I was the senior bowler. Washi played that Test, and I realised that my time was up,” he said.After the second Test in Brisbane, a pink-ball match where he scored 22 and 7 and took a wicket, Ashwin retired from international cricket. He finished with 765 wickets across formats for India and scored 4,394 runs, including six centuries and 15 fifties in 233 innings. He was part of India’s 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy winning squads, ending a career that spanned 15 years.His decision to retire, followed by exits of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after the same series, led to criticism of the team management. Gambhir faced reactions on social media amid suggestions that senior players were pushed towards retirement. Ashwin rejected that view and backed the coach.“I like Gautam, and many people may have different opinions about him, but he is someone who always puts the team ahead of individuals,” Ashwin said. “He credits the team, not individuals, and that’s something I admire,” he added.Speaking about India’s record in Test cricket in the last decade and a half, Ashwin said: “On the 2018 tour that we went to Australia, we won that series. But there was a lot of talk about the fact that Steve Smith wasn’t there in the squad. Right. I think Steve Smith and David Warner were not in the (Australia) squad and (many people said) that’s probably why India won it. Whenwe went on the tour the second time around, we got the better of Steve Smith. David Warner was still around. Virat Kohli wasn’t there in that series (2021-22). And we did go on to accomplish something special.”Saying that there’s more to Indian cricket than just a couple of people, Ashwin said, “And which is why I think there is an Instagram post where myself, Pujara and Jinx (Ajinkya Rahane), we put up a post saying there ismore meat to the Indian team than just a couple of people. Right? And Virat, let’s all make no mistake, is probably the torchbearerand was the torchbearerof the Test cricket team. And that’s why a lot of people started to follow Test cricket as well. But a Test team cannot be just about one or two individuals.Ateam that’s built a legacy for over a decade justmeans a lot more than individuals. I think we tend to forget and drive too much upon individuality. And that’s why I love what Gautam talks about.”Looking back at his time alongside Kohli and Rohit, Ashwin pointed to the understanding within the group.“The best part about us was that none of us blamed each other. We all wanted India to win and make the country proud. We were motivated to do that,” he said.He also addressed the challenges for the Test side during the current phase of change.“The team is in transition. Playing against spin is a problem, but for me, batting is not that big an issue. We will produce batters. Bowling is not as effective as batting, and that is where the concern lies,” he concluded.
