“Virat Kohli wouldn’t have let Ashwin retire mid-series” - Former Pakistan cricketer slams Indian team management during BGT 2024-25

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali was disappointed that Team India skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir allowed senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to retire after the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia. He emphasized that the Indian think tank should have convinced the veteran to remain available for the remaining two Tests of the series.

The former Pakistan batter opined that if Virat Kohli was India's captain in the BGT 2024-25, he would not have let Ashwin retire midway through the crucial series. The ace off-spinner announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, December 18, after the drawn Brisbane Test.

Speaking about the champion player's retirement, Basit said in a video shared on his YouTube channel (from 6:12):

"I saw his press conference and it looked like he didn't speak about many things. I can guarantee that Virat Kohli wouldn't have let Aswhin retire mid-series if he were the captain."

Spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar got the nod over Ravichandran Ashwin in the Indian playing XI for the Test series opener in Perth. While he replaced Sundar for the subsequent pink ball Test at Adelaide, Ashwin had to make way for Ravindra Jadeja in the recently concluded Brisbane Test.

He picked up a solitary wicket in his final Test outing and registered scores of 22 and 7. He finished his international career with 765 scalps across formats, the second-most by an Indian bowler. The 38-year-old also hit six centuries and 14 fifties in Test cricket.

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"It should have been after this five-match series" - Basit Ali on Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement

In the aforementioned video, Basit Ali seemed unimpressed by Ravichandran Ashwin's mid-series retirement. He suggested that the seasoned bowler should have drawn curtains to his career before the start of the series or after the completion of the five fixtures.

Basit remarked (from 4:10):

"Ravichandran Ashwin should have retired after the New Zealand series itself as Washington Sundar was called up for the second Test, or it should have been after this five-match series. I think letting Ashwin retire after three Tests was a bad decision from Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir. They should have sat with him and made him understand that India needed him for these two Tests."

The cricketer-turned-expert reckoned that Ashwin should have been dropped after an underwhelming outing in Adelaide. Hailing the bowling all-rounder as a 'series-winner', Basit added (from 4:55):

"Yes, Ashwin didn't perform well in the Adelaide Test. But is he a one-match performer? Ashwin is not a match-winner. He is not a match-winner, he is a series-winner. Being a match-winner is different and being someone who can win tournaments and series is different."

Ashwin will continue to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after his retirement from international cricket. It will be a homecoming for him as he is set to don the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) once again in the next edition.