Karthik reveals Ashwin's aspiration to emulate Narine's bowling style
Veteran Indian off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, has announced his retirement from international cricket. The news was confirmed on December 18, after India's third Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Dinesh Karthik, Ashwin's former teammate at the national and state (Tamil Nadu) level, shared an interesting anecdote about the spinner post-retirement. He revealed that Ashwin once wanted to bowl like West Indies's Sunil Narine.
Ashwin's desire to push boundaries in cricket
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Karthik recalled a conversation with Ashwin during an Asia Cup match. He quoted Ashwin saying, "I want to bowl like Sunil Narine because if he can get away with what he is doing, I want to do it as well." Karthik praised Ashwin's ability to push boundaries and take risks that others might hesitate to take.
Karthik hails Ashwin as Tamil Nadu's greatest cricketer
Karthik praised Ashwin's growth from a 'one-trick pony' to a bowler with several variations. He called him "the greatest-ever cricketer that's come out from Tamil Nadu." Karthik also emphasized Ashwin's intelligence and capacity to innovate in the middle of games or series, calling him an "absolute geek and scientist."
Karthik believes Ashwin's retirement is timely
Karthik was surprised by Ashwin's sudden retirement but admitted that there was a slight dip in his performance. He said Ashwin could have continued playing for India in home matches for another few seasons. But he eventually backed Ashwin's decision to retire at this time. "I think he has taken the decision at the right time," Karthik said.
