Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin made shocking comments on Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement after the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. Brad Haddin stated that Ravichandran Ashwin might have been frustrated after being dropped for the third Test in Brisbane.
Ashwin took the surprising decision to retire from international cricket midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. His retirement came after an emotional moment with his teammates in the locker room. He officially announced his decision during the post-match press conference at the Gabba.
Ravichandran Ashwin gets his chance to speak – Brad Haddin
India’s spinner selection during the Border-Gavaskar series has been inconsistent. Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja played as the lead spinners in different Tests. Brad Haddin said Ashwin might have been frustrated by the frequent changes in the spin department.
“More will come out when Ashwin gets a chance to speak; Just reading between the lines, it seemed like he was a little frustrated with the spin options that changed in the first three test matches. To me, he was a student of the game (and) always looking for ways to improve… he earned the right,” Haddin told Fox Cricket after the end of the Test match.
The last time a spinner retired mid-series in Australia was Graeme Swann – Brett Lee
With two Test matches left in the series, former Australian pacer Brett Lee compared Ravichandran Ashwin’s mid-series retirement to that of England’s Graeme Swann during the 2013 Ashes series. Lee said Ashwin may have been told who will not play any further role in this series.
“I think the last time a spinner retired in a series (in Australia) was Graeme Swann. “He may have been told he won’t be playing any role in this series again, and rightly so, he just decided to go out on his own terms,” Lee said on Fox Cricket.
I’m going to miss your bowling – Michael Vaughan
Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan expressed that he would miss Ashwin’s bowling, particularly his variations such as carom balls. Vaughan said Ashwin has the ability to bowl effectively in all conditions and added that batsmen struggle to cope with his quality, especially in India.
“I’m going to miss his bowling, that flight, his carom balls, his bowling abilities in all conditions… (in India) a batsman doesn’t stand a chance when faced with that quality,” Vaughan said on Fox Cricket.
Rohit Sharma revealed in a post-match press conference that Ashwin had shared with him his decision to retire in Perth. However, Rohit convinced Ashwin to play in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. He scored 22 runs in the first innings and took one wicket. Ashwin scored seven runs in the second innings.
Ashwin finished as India’s second highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, with 537 wickets at an average of 24.00 and an economy rate of 2.83. In total, Ashwin took 765 wickets in international cricket. In ODIs, he took 156 wickets at an average of 33.20 and bagged 72 T20I wickets at an economy rate of 6.90.
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