South African cricket great Daryll Cullinan has delivered a spectacular verdict on legendary India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin‘s sudden retirement from international cricket. Ashwin called time on his career midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25, having played just one of the three Tests till then. Ashwin left without any farewell game, emphasizing that he wanted to quit cricket as nonchalantly as possible. However, Cullinan has reacted strongly to Ashwin’s retirement, stating that retiring mid-series was a “selfish” move on his part.
While Ashwin did not cite any specific reason, reports following his retirement suggested that two reasons played a big part in this decision. One was his prolonged back issue, and the second being that he wasn’t a guaranteed selection in overseas conditions anymore.
Ashwin’s father had even gone and said that he retired due to “humiliation”, but Ashwin shut that reason down swiftly.
Cullinan believes that Ashwin should not have retired mid-series, as it could’ve interrupted the team’s momentum.
“Ashwin should not be retiring or allowed to retire mid-series. It was a selfish move, clearly for reasons he won’t make public. It was a spiteful reaction to not being selected. It can be disruptive to a team mid-series. It was a matter of weeks. He could have retired after Sydney,” Cullinan said, in an interview with Hindustan Times.
The off-spinner retired with 537 wickets in 106 Tests, ending as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in all formats.
Cullinan has also stated that the ongoing tour would be a success for Team India if they manage to pull off a win, and draw it 2-2.
“I want to stress that if India win in Sydney, it’s been a successful tour for them. I can’t see why they can’t win in Sydney! In fact, I think they will,” Cullinan said.
India winning the final Test would ensure that they retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for a record-extending fifth time in a row, and also keep their hopes alive for a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final.
Topics mentioned in this article
