Editorial: Swan song, too soon

On December 18, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who was part of the Indian cricket team in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket after the third Test. There was a sense of déjà vu accompanying Ashwin’s announcement as both MS Dhoni and Anil Kumble exited the red-ball cricket scene in the middle of a series against Australia, in 2014 and 2008 respectively.

Ashwin’s retirement was the culmination of the international career of one of India’s finest match-winners, not to mention, that of the greatest cricketer Tamil Nadu has produced. Ashwin finished as the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Tests (537 wickets) at a spectacular average (runs per wicket) of 24 and a strike rate (SR, deliveries bowled per wicket) of 50.7. Apart from this, he scored 3,503 runs at an average of 25.75. It is noteworthy that only his former Indian coach Anil Kumble registered a higher wicket tally (619) and just about 20 Indian batsmen have scored more Test runs than him, which is an indicator of his strong all-round ability and performance in cricket’s traditional format.

It’s an undisputed fact that Ashwin was among Team India’s most consistent performers in a period when the Indian team dominated Test cricket, especially at the home turf. He made the most of the spin-friendly conditions at home, and his partnership with Ravindra Jadeja has yielded a staggering 856 Test wickets, which transformed the duo into one of the most lethal weapons of all time.

It is interesting to note that Test is a format that Ashwin warmed up to exceptionally well, although his initial foray into the limelight were through his spells in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In a recent commentary, former India cricketer and women’s team coach WV Raman, who was at the helm when Ashwin made his First Class debut, reiterated that Ashwin’s prowess on the bowling front was nothing short of remarkable, considering he turned to bowling quite late in his career and had to catch up in learning the craft.

It goes without saying that in his formative years, the off-spinner had to deal with inevitable comparisons - be it with the Indian Spin Quartet, who played in the 1960s and 1970s, comprising Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, and Bishan Singh Bedi; or with his immediate predecessors - Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.

While Ashwin’s achievements speak for themselves, one cannot overstate the scientific and analytical bent of mind that Ashwin brought to his bowling mechanics. A case in point indicative of his love for experimentation was the carrom ball, a tactic deployed by Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis against India in 2008. Let’s not forget, Ashwin’s name is counted in the pantheon of a handful of international cricketers who played in domestic cricket whenever the chance presented itself.

His involvement with the Ranji Trophy and the TNPL, guiding the Dindigul Dragons to its maiden victory is something young cricketers can be inspired by. As a purveyor of old school values such as patience and strategic thinking on the field, Ashwin might be the last of his lot, and his retirement is a bellwether of the inevitable exits of other super seniors of Team India.

While the circumstances surrounding his untimely departure from the international arena remained speculative, we here in the heartland of the Gentleman’ Game are poorer without this stalwart.