Matthew Hayden has praised the cricketing acumen of 38-year-old Ravichandran Ashwin, who has retired from international cricket. Hayden described Ashwin as a ‘smart cricketer’.
Ashwin’s retirement announcement surprised many. He announced his decision along with India captain Rohit Sharma.
Fans were expecting a meaningful announcement. This was after a heartbreaking moment observed between Ashwin and Virat Kohli on the final day of the Brisbane Test match.
Kohli accepted an emotional Ashwin. This indicated that important news was coming soon.
Following Ashwin’s announcement, tributes poured in recognizing his outstanding career.
In an exclusive interview with Star Sports, Hayden praised Ashwin’s strategic thinking and keen mind. He highlighted Ashwin’s dedication and ability to formulate clever plans.
“That’s right. I think Sunny described him really well. He is a very smart cricketer. As you know, he is a cricketer who sticks to his duties and always comes up with cunning plans. He has great faith in his own abilities. He is quite polarizing in many ways when it comes to the cricketing public and even his own team. He is a very strong minded person. But I personally wish Ashwin a great retirement,” Hayden said in a statement released by Star Sports.
Ashwin started his Test career in 2011 against West Indies. He quickly established himself in red-ball cricket and this became his specialty.
Ashwin has played in 106 Test matches and has taken an impressive 537 wickets. This includes 37 five-wicket hauls. He also scored 3,503 points.
Ashwin’s record against Australia is 115 wickets in 23 matches with an economy rate of 2.71.
The 38-year-old also holds the record for taking the most wickets in a single Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. He accomplished this feat with 29 sacks in the 2020-21 series.
Ashwin holds several impressive records. He is the fastest Indian bowler to reach 350 Test wickets.
He is also India’s second highest Test wicket-taker with 537 wickets at an economy rate of 2.83. His achievements will likely remain a benchmark for years to come.
