[Watch] Nathan Lyon gifts a jersey to retired Ravichandran Ashwin after BGT 2024-25 3rd Test

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin drew curtains on a decorated career on Wednesday, December 18. He announced his retirement from international cricket following the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25) series between India and Australia.

After the game, Australia's veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon presented Ashwin with a special gift. He handed over a signed jersey to the 38-year-old as a memorabilia. Australian captain Pat Cummins was also present alongside Lyon and he too congratulated Ashwin on a wonderful career.

You can watch the video of the interaction below (from 0:48):

It is worth mentioning that Ravichandran Ashwin finished his career as the second-highest wicket-taker for India across formats. He bagged 765 scalps from 379 innings in international cricket. He also made a significant impact with the bat, hitting six centuries and 14 half-centuries in Test cricket.

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"Nothing but respect" - Nathan Lyon on Ravichandran Ashwin

Reacting to Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement, Nathan Lyon lauded the Indian bowler for how he conducted himself on the field throughout his career. He emphasized that he had a lot of respect for the crafty spinner.

Lyon also revealed that he had a lengthy discussion with Ashwin about spin bowling on Day 5 of the recently concluded Brisbane Test. Speaking to Fox Cricket, he said (via NDTV):

"Nothing but respect (for Ashwin). Just the way Ash has conducted himself on and off the field for a number of years now, and his skill set is incredible. We've got different opinions on different things, there's no right or wrong. But to have those conversations with a bowler like Ashwin is amazing."

"We are both very different. So our conversation this morning was brilliant, and I hope we have more through the series and in the future as well," Lyon added.

While Ravichandran Ashwin has retired from international cricket, he will continue playing franchise cricket. The ace bowler will be seen in action for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).