"Ashwin said, 'I won't bowl to Smith because he has a camera on his helmet'" - Former India batter hails off-spinner's cricketing acumen

Former Team India batter Mohammad Kaif has praised the acumen of recently retired off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket on December 18. His announcement came during the post-match press conference of the recently concluded third drawn Brisbane Test against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Throughout his career, Ashwin has time and again proved that he is a wily campaigner. Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif recently shared details of one such incident where the ace off-spinner used his tactical acumen against star Australian batter Steve Smith.

Kaif recalled that when he was part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) coaching staff in 2021, he asked Ashwin to bowl to Smith in the nets. He revealed that the bowler refused to do so because of the camera on the batter's helmet.

The cricketer-turned-commentator stated that Ashwin didn't want Smith to record his bowling and analyze it ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup. Speaking in a video shared on his X handle, Kaif said:

"Steve Smith was in our team, and one day when he came to the nets to bat, I asked Ashwin to bowl to him, but the off-spinner denied. That’s when I was impressed with his in-depth analysis of the game, and I request you to name him an ‘in-depth’ Ashwin.

"Ashwin said, ‘I won’t bowl to Smith because he has got a camera on his helmet. He will record us and analyse it for the World Cup.’ I couldn’t notice the camera on Smith’s helmet, but Ashwin did. He was ready to help Smith as a teammate but not for the World Cup."

Ravichandran Ashwin is inarguably one of the greatest spinners to have played the game. The 38-year-old claimed 765 wickets across formats in international cricket, the second-most by an Indian. He also has six centuries and 14 fifties to his name in Tests.

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"Always working out a cunning plan" - Matthew Hayden praises Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin earned massive respect from several Australian cricketers for his decorated career. Former opener Matthew Hayden also reserved high praise for the veteran bowler as he bid adieu to international cricket.

Hailing the bowler's cricketing acumen, Hayden told Star Sports (via TOI):

"Yeah, I think Sunny (Sunil Gavaskar) described him really well--a very smart cricketer. And you know, he's a cricketer who just stays on task, always working out a cunning plan. He's got great belief in his own ability. He's quite polarizing in many ways when it comes to the cricketing public, and even to his own team - he's a very strong-minded person. But I personally want to wish Ashwin a wonderful retirement."

Ashwin will continue to play in the IPL following his international retirement. He is set to ply his trade for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the next edition after being picked by the five-time champions for ₹9.75 crore at the IPL 2025 auction.