Nathan Lyon Honors Ashwin as Indian Star Announces Retirement
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Brisbane, Dec 18 (NationPress) Nathan Lyon, Australia's top off-spinner, paid a touching homage to Ravichandran Ashwin after the Indian legend's retirement announcement. Speaking post the drawn third Test, Lyon remarked he had "nothing but respect" for Ashwin, praising his "incredible" skill set.
Ashwin declared his retirement from all forms of cricket with immediate effect following the draw in the third Test against Australia at Gabba on Wednesday.
"Nothing but respect (for Ashwin). Just the way Ash has conducted himself on and off the field for a number of years now, and his skill set is incredible. We've got different opinions on different things, there's no right or wrong. But to have those conversations with a bowler like Ashwin is amazing," Lyon mentioned on Fox Cricket.
Earlier that day, Ashwin dedicated considerable time to discussing bowling strategies with Lyon. The Australian spinner shared that they conversed about "different variations, different tactics and understanding what he's trying to do. We are both very different. So our conversation this morning was brilliant, and I hope we have more through the series and in the future as well," Lyon added.
Ashwin’s retirement arrives during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he participated in only one Test—the second match in Adelaide—which India lost by ten wickets. In that encounter, Ashwin secured just one wicket and scored 22 and 7 in his two innings. For the third Test, Ravindra Jadeja took his place in the playing XI, while Washington Sundar played in the first Test in Perth.
Lyon expressed his astonishment at Ashwin's absence from the team. "It’s an interesting question. You've got someone sitting (on the bench) with 530-odd Test wickets, and I'm walking to the ground, scratching my head, saying, 'What are you doing?' He’s proven that he is one of the world’s best spin bowlers to ever play the game."
Throughout his illustrious career, Ashwin participated in 106 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 65 T20Is, accumulating a remarkable 765 wickets across all formats.
In Tests, Ashwin achieved 37 five-wicket hauls and seven ten-wicket match hauls. His career average of 24 and strike rate of 50.7 illustrate his capacity to deliver consistently in the longest format. Ashwin retires as the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Test history and holds the title of the highest wicket-taking off-spinner. Nonetheless, Lyon is anticipated to surpass this record in the future.
Ashwin, a dependable lower-order batsman in Tests, scored 3,503 Test runs at an average of 25.75, which includes six centuries and 14 half-centuries.
