Brisbane, Dec 18
Australia's premier off-spinner Nathan Lyon paid a heartfelt tribute to Ravichandran Ashwin following the Indian maestro's retirement. Lyon, speaking after the drawn third Test, said he had "nothing but respect" for Ashwin and described his skill set as "incredible."
Ashwin announced his decision to retire from all formats of cricket with immediate effect following the draw in the third Test against Australia at the Gabba on Wednesday.
"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," Lyon said on Fox Cricket.
Earlier in the day, Ashwin spent significant time discussing bowling strategies with Lyon. The Australian spinner revealed they talked about "different variations, different tactics and understanding what he's trying to do. 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.
Ashwin's retirement comes in the middle of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he played just one Test--the second match in Adelaide--which India lost by ten wickets. In that match, Ashwin took only one wicket and scored 22 and 7 in his two innings. For the third Test, Ravindra Jadeja replaced him in the playing XI, while Washington Sundar played in the first Test in Perth.
Lyon expressed his surprise at Ashwin's absence from the team. "It's an interesting question. You've got someone sitting (on the bench) with 530-odd Test wickets, and I'm walking to the ground, scratching my head, saying, 'What are you doing?' He's proven that he is one of the world's best spin bowlers to ever play the game."
Over his illustrious career, Ashwin played 106 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 65 T20Is, amassing a phenomenal 765 wickets across all formats.
In Tests, Ashwin took 37 five-wicket hauls and seven ten-wicket match hauls. His career average of 24 and strike rate of 50.7 reflect his ability to deliver consistently in the longest format. Ashwin retires as the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Test history and holds the distinction of being the highest wicket-taking off-spinner. However, Lyon is expected to surpass this record in the future.
A reliable lower-order batter in Tests, Ashwin scored 3,503 Test runs at an average of 25.75, including six centuries and 14 half-centuries.