「ヴィラット・コーリがキャプテンだったら、アシュウィンを引退させなかっただろう」 – ベイシット・アリ

Would have Ravichandran Ashwin retired midway though the India vs Australia Test series if Virat Kohli was the captain? Basit Ali says no. The former Pakistan cricketer thinks Ashwin would have waited until at least the end of the series and then called it quits. But he isn’t just blaming captain Rohit Sharma but also the current head coach Gautam Gambhir as well.

“I guarantee if Virat Kohli was captain, he wouldn’t have let Ashwin retire and would have told him to announce it after two matches. Why? Because India will need him in Sydney. If Rahul Dravid or Ravi Shastri was India coach, they also would not have let Ashwin retire at this moment. It’s bad that Rohit and Gambhir could not convince him and say ‘not at this time, these two Test matches you are needed’, and for sure in Sydney,” said Basit on his YouTube channel.

“There are some things you can’t speak, but are still understood. Body language tells everything; the way he (Ashwin) hugged Virat Kohli (in the dressing room). I agree he is not the same bowler, but not that bad that you put him under so much pressure…537 (Test) wickets are a lot. Ashwin was not a match-winner, he was a series-winner…Red-ball cricket is the highest level. Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Ashwin — they were series-winners,” Basit concluded.