Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has lauded recently retired Ravichandran Ashwin’s impact on the game, saying the veteran off-spinner always stood out for his remarkably sharp cricketing brain. Ashwin, 38, announced his sudden retirement from international cricket with immediate effect after India’s third Test against Australia, a game he was not selected for, ended in a draw at the Gabba, Brisbane. Ashwin ended his 14-year international career with 537 wickets at average of 24 in 106 Tests and becoming India’s second leading wicket-taker after legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble. He also picked an incredible 37 five-wicket hauls in Tests, the second-most in the history of the game, along with eight ten-wicket hauls.

“Well I must admit I’m really surprised to hear that Ravi Ashwin has retired. I mean he’s been such a fantastic stalwart of Indian cricket. His record at home is outstanding. His record away from home is equally as good.”

“He’s going to go down as one of the all-time great spin bowlers, one of the all-time great Indian cricketers. I had the pleasure of playing quite a bit against him and I had the pleasure of coaching him at the Delhi Capitals. He’s got one of the sharpest cricket brains that you that you would ever come across,” said Ponting in a video posted by the ICC on their Instagram account.

Ashwin also scored six Test centuries and 14 fifties with the bat in the longer format. His last international game was the day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide, where he took 1-53 in his 18 overs and made 29 runs with the bat, as India lost by ten wickets.

Ashwin also played 116 ODIs for India, taking 156 wickets, and being a member of 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy winning teams. Ashwin also played 65 T20I matches and took 72 wickets.

“Whether the way that he looks at batters, the way that he breaks them down and knows he almost like Shane Warne, stays a step ahead of what the batsman was going to do is why he’s been such a great bowler. His longevity in the game is amazing,” added Ponting.

Ashwin was one of 11 allrounders to clinch the double of 3000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests. He also won a record 11 Player-of-the-Series awards, which is level with Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan. He will be seen in action for five-time champions Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025.

“He’s still going to be going around in the IPL and I’ll be coaching against him again this year. But a fantastic career, one that I was lucky to be a part of and I’m sure we’ll see lots of more wickets and more highlights from Ravi Ashwin as his career goes on,” concluded Ponting.

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