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EAS Prasanna, who himself is lauded as one of the greatest spinners in Indian cricket history, passed on the mantle and title to Ashwin, regarding him as the greatest spinner in his era.
R Ashwin (BCCI Photo)
Indian spin legend EAS Prasanna lauded recently-retired Ravichandran Ashwin as the ‘greatest spinner of his era’, showering praise on the off-spinner for his contribution to Indian cricket, whilst stating that his decision felt forced.
The 38-year-old R Ashwin drew curtains on his illustrious career this week, announcing his decision to the world in a post-match presser after India’s draw against Australia in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Brisbane.
After representing India in 106 Tests, 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is and picking up 765 wickets across formats. With 537 wickets to his credit, Ashwin retired as the second-highest wicket-taker for India in Test cricket.
Prasanna, who claimed 189 wickets in 49 Tests for India, stated his surprise at Ashwin’s decision to call it quits, saying he believed that the off-spin wizard didn’t receive enough opportunities to prove himself, particularly on overseas tours.
“I was surprised by his decision to retire. Maybe he got some indication from the team management that he is no longer in the scheme of things which might have forced him to take his decision,” Prasanna said in an interview to Rediff.com.
“He didn’t get to play matches whenever India traveled overseas, including in the current tour of Australia, and that might have played a role in his decision.”
Suspicions aside, Prasanna, who himself is lauded as one of the greatest spinners in Indian cricket history, passed on the mantle and title to Ashwin, regarding him as the greatest spinner in his era.
“I would say he is the greatest spinner of this era. He had a great record, second highest wicket taker for India after Anil Kumble. He is the last of the classical spinners of this generation along with Nathan Lyon, who excelled in the Test format,” exclaimed Prasanna.
Prasanna also said that Ashwin’s time with cricket is far from over, stating his belief in the spin wizard to excel at being a mentor for the upcoming generation of players.
“With all his qualities, he would be better off imparting his knowledge to younger players in coaching and mentoring roles.”
Ashwin retires as one of India’s greatest cricketers and will continue playing club cricket and will represent five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings next year.
