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.

India captain Rohit Sharma‘s fitness remains a hot topic of debate amid his lean patch with the bat in Test cricket. Recently, former South African cricketer Daryll Cullinan had taken a swipe at Rohit’s fitness, calling him “overweight” and unfit for the rigours of a five-match Test series. Cullinan had labelled Rohit a “flat track bully” and even called him a liability to the team. Now, Cullinan’s compatriot Herschelle Gibbs has reacted to his comments on the Indian skipper.

Gibbs, a former teammate of Rohit at Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers (now defunct), has echoed Cullinan’s sentiments, saying that everything is visible on TV and doesn’t need to mention any names.

“I don’t need to mention any names. You can see everything on TV. Those guys that are unfit and carrying a little bit extra, I mean, the whole world is there to see. I think it’s up to the individual. I was only a batter. Rohit doesn’t bowl. It’s up to the individual for me with regards to how much they want to contribute, not only in their own specific skill. If you’re a bowler or a batter, your duty is still to be fit and to try and make a contribution in the field,” Gibbs told InsideSport.

Gibbs also suggested that it’s up to the players to figure out how they want to contribute to the team.

“Those guys that are unfit and carrying a little bit extra, I mean, the whole world is there to see. I don’t need to mention any names. The mindset should be, especially with a lot of T20 cricket and obviously with the Champions Trophy coming up, how much you want to contribute and make a difference for your team,” he added.

Rohit’s form has hit an all-time low in 2014, with the star batter managing just 152 runs in his last 13 Test innings at an average of 11.69.

With the five-match series against Australia tied at 1-1, Rohit has the chance to silence his critics in the remaining two matches in Melbourne and Sydney, respectively.

Indian cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma© AFP