Mumbai
Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, the most successful bowler in the history of cricket, on Wednesday praised India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who announced his retirement from international cricket, and described him as an inspiration for aspiring cricketers. Ashwin retired from international cricket after the conclusion of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia in Brisbane on Wednesday with 537 wickets in 106 Tests. Ashwin ended his career as the second-highest wicket-taker for India behind Anil Kumble (619) and Murali said it was no small feat.
“You might remember that Ashwin started his career as a batsman, and tried his hand at spin as a part-time option,” Muralitharan said in an exclusive interview with Telecom Asia Sports on Wednesday. He soon realized that his batting aspirations were on hold and focused his attention on bowling. Hats off to him for taking this bold step and what he has achieved. Reaching 500 Test wickets is not an easy task.”
Muralitharan retired from Test cricket after taking 800 wickets in 133 matches. He had seen Ashwin in his early days and found him to be a smart young man always eager to learn. “I was in the latter stages of my career when he came onto the scene, but I thought he was a smart young man eager to learn,” Murali was quoted as saying by Telecom Asia Sport. They sought advice, asked thoughtful questions, and worked hard to improve themselves. “It is this dedication and hunger that makes them different from others.”
With 537 Test wickets, Ashwin is the seventh most successful bowler in Test history and the second most successful off spinner after Murali. Murali said, “Retiring as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests is a great achievement. Ashwin has made himself, Tamil Nadu cricket and the entire country proud. I wish him success in his second innings.”
What impressed Murali was that Ashwin’s passion for learning always remained strong. The Sri Lankan legend said, “While his career was coming to an end, his passion for learning never diminished. Look at the variations he developed – it is proof that he was not satisfied with his achievements. May he always keep moving forward.”
