Clarke 'surprised' by Ashwin's retirement decision: 'Even if he wasn't playing next 2 Tests...'

Ravichandran Ashwin's unexpected retirement announcement on Wednesday caught many by surprise, as the experienced Indian spinner bid farewell to his international career following the Brisbane Test. Michael Clarke, the renowned former Australian captain, expressed his surprise at Ashwin's decision, mentioning that he had not anticipated it happening during the ongoing series.

Two Tests remain in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with one of them in Sydney, a pitch usually considered favourable for spinners, too. Clarke said that while Ashwin deserved all the respect on his stellar career, it was surprising to see the India great hanging his boots.

“Ravichandran Ashwin has been a fantastic player across all formats, so tough to face, especially in Indian conditions; very skilful, very accurate, very good lines. He deserves to be respected and deserves his congratulations on a wonderful career,” Clarke told ESPN Australia during their ‘Around The Wicket’ show.

“I'm surprised he’s done it now, even if he wasn’t gonna play the next two Tests, I thought maybe he could’ve waited, go back home, in front of Indian media… who knows?”

The former Aussie batter, however, did give Ashwin the benefit of doubt and recalled his own playing days, when former Australian bowler Ryan Harris had also similarly announced retirement in the middle of an Ashes series.

“He has his reasons, I guess I’ve experienced that before in the Ashes. Ryan Harris, because of an injury, retired before the series was over. I’ve been through that. But yeah, I guess he has had the conversations with captain and coach, they probably told him he’s not going to play the next two ests, so he decided to make that decision,” said Clarke.

Ashwin retires with 537 wickets to his name, making him the second-highest wicket-taker for India in the longest format after the legendary former captain, Anil Kumble. The off-spinner is also among the select few cricketers to have played over 100 Tests for India, finishing his career with 106 matches.