India veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara picked legendary all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin as India's coach for the future. Ashwin, known for his mind games while bowling and batting, recently announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket. His last international outing came during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Ashwin featured in the second Test match of the five-Test match series against Australia before announcing his retirement after the third Test match at iconic Gabba Stadium in Brisbane. R Ashwin retired as India's second-most successful bowler, as he picked 765 wickets across all formats. His final Test appearance was in Adelaide, where he captured his 537th Test wicket and became India's second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, trailing only Anil Kumble's record of 619 wickets.
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In a candid Q&A session with ESPNCricinfo, Pujara picked Ravichandran Ashwin as India's potential future coach.
Q. Who's most likely to become India's coach?
A. Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ashwin's last cricketing outing came in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, where he represented the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The offspinner had a forgetful season as he managed to pick just seven wickets in nine outings, conceding 283 runs. CSK also had a forgettable season as skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament after getting an injury, and the five-time champions finished last with just four wins in their 14 league matches.
Pujara further picked former India captain Virat Kohli as the batter who will finish with all the records.
Q. To finish with all the records?
A. Virat Kohli
Kohli, who is arguably the best captain to lead India in whites, recently announced his Test retirement after a poor outing in Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, where he managed to score 190 runs in five Test matches. Kohli's last international outing came in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 where unbeaten India defeated New Zealand in the final to win the title at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.