'Ashwin was denied honor of being vice-captain': Sunil Gavaskar
Former Indian cricket captain, Sunil Gavaskar, has slammed the team management for its inconsistent treatment of Ravichandran Ashwin. In his column for Midday, Gavaskar expressed disappointment over Ashwin's abrupt retirement from international cricket during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. He argued that despite holding a world record for the joint-most player-of-the-series awards along with Muthiah Muralidaran, Ashwin was often sidelined due to "team balance."
Why does this story matter?
Earlier this month, Ashwin brought an end to an illustrious career that spanned well over a decade. He truly ruled the roost and scaled new heights post the Harbhajan Singh-Anil Kumble era. Ashwin was an astute character on the field, constantly trying to play with the oppositions' minds. He also had a knack for experimenting both as a player and captain. Notably, Ashwin showcased his captaincy skills in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League.
Gavaskar highlights bias in team selection
Further, Gavaskar emphasized on the alleged bias in the team selection, where Ashwin was often left out of the Playing XI because of the pitch. He asked why the same logic wasn't applied to batters who failed under the same conditions. "If the excuse was that the pitch and conditions wouldn't suit the ICC number one-ranked bowler, how come the same excuse was not used for batters?" Gavaskar asked.
Gavaskar questions BCCI's recognition of Ashwin's leadership skills
The former Indian skipper also questioned the BCCI's selection committee for neither recognizing Ashwin's leadership skills nor giving him a farewell match. He said, "Ashwin would have made a fine captain for India, but he was denied even the honor of being the vice-captain." However, Gavaskar lauded current Indian skipper Rohit Sharma for his heartfelt gesture during Ashwin's 100th Test match.
A look at Ashwin's illustrious career
In a career spanning over a decade, Ashwin became India's mainstay spinner across formats, especially in Test cricket, taking over from Harbhajan Singh. Overall, Ashwin played 106 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 65 T20Is, having accounted for 756 wickets, the second-most for India in international cricket. He finished as India's most successful off-spinner in Test cricket, finishing with with 537 wickets. He also scored over 3,500 Test runs with the bat, including six tons.
