Now, for what feels like ages, a part of the Indian team, all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, officially took retirement from international cricket, and the whole fraternity seems to be celebrating Ashwin’s glorious career from every possible angle. Ashwin decided to retire, most probably after announcing it during the post-match press conference following the Brisbane Test, earlier this week, with figures of 765 wickets and 6 Test centuries to his credit. Now, former India batter Mohammad Kaif has praised Ashwin’s cricketing intelligence to the world while telling an unheard episode.
Kaif recalls the time when Ashwin denied the chance to bowl to Steve Smith of Australia in an eventful training session in Delhi Capitals. After Smith wore a camera on the helmet, Ashwin told Kaif that he was not willing to have the Australian record me and then to analyze him in preparation for the T20 World Cup.
“Steve Smith was in our team, and one day when he came to the nets to bat, I asked Ashwin to bowl to him, but the off-spinner denied. That’s when I was impressed with his in-depth analysis of the game, and I request you to name him an ‘in-depth’ Ashwin. Ashwin said, ‘I won’t bowl to Smith because he has got a camera on his helmet. He will record us and analyse it for the World Cup.’ I couldn’t notice the camera on Smith’s helmet, but Ashwin did. He was ready to help Smith as a teammate but not for the World Cup,” Kaif said in a video posted on X.
He had given a perfect description of him. Yes, Sunny (Sunil Gavaskar) described him of being a very smart cricketer. And you know, he’s a cricketer who just stays on task, always working out a cunning plan. He’s got a great belief in his own ability. I mean, he’s pretty much all polemical in many ways with respect to the cricketing public, and even his team – he’s a very strong-minded person. But personally, I want to wish a very good retirement to Ashwin,” he added.
Ashwin is still playing in the IPL, just signed by Chennai Super Kings earlier for Rs 9.75 crore in the mega auction last month.