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Australia star speedster Mitchell Starc lavished praise on India's Ravichandran Ashwin after the legendary off-spinner announced retirement from international cricket on December 18 as the third Test match of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 at Gabba stadium ended in a draw.
Ashwin has played 106 Tests, where he claimed 537 wickets and scored 3503 runs. He has a massive record against Australia as he picked up 115 wickets against them throughout his career. Starc also acknowledged Ashwin's influence against Australia and highlighted the spinner’s consistent ability to trouble Australian batters.
"Obviously, it's big news. His numbers speak for themselves. He's been an incredible bowler for India for a long time. He's got over 500 wickets. He's got a close working relationship with Nathan and mutual respect between teams for someone of his calibre. Congratulations on his career. I mean, he's always been a bit of a thorn in the flesh for our side over in India and played a part in in series here in Australia. So yeah, it's been a fantastic career and I'm sure it'll be celebrated that way," Starc told SEN Sports.
Ashwin played 181 white ball matches including 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is. In ODIs he picked up 156 wickets at an average of 33.20, with best figures of 4/25 and in T20Is he took 72 wickets at an average of 23.22. His best figures are 4/8. He also scored 184 runs in 19 innings at an average of 26.28, with best score of 31. He is the sixth-highest wicket-taker for India in T20Is.
With 765 scalps in 287 matches, he is India's second-highest wicket-taker across all formats, next to Kumble (953). He also won the 2011 50-Over World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy with India.
