India and CSK legend Ravichandran Ashwin called time on his glorious IPL career as he announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League on Tuesday. The legendary off-spinner ended a long-standing association of 17 years with the league, finishing with 187 wickets in 221 matches.
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However, Kris Srikkanth, the 1983 World Cup winner has now raised questions over the decision. He suggested that Ashwin could have easily represented the Chennai Super Kings for a couple more years.
Kris Srikkanth questions Ashwin's retirement from the IPL
R Ashwin has been one of the greats of the game and an IPL legend. His sudden retirement decision came as a shock to fans and many cricket experts alike.
"I am not sure why Ashwin retired. If I were in his place, I would have continued playing IPL for at least another two years. Of course, for Ashwin, money, fame, or name is not an issue. He has all of those in abundance. But, he could have played in the IPL for another two years and then gone on to play in the other leagues," said Srikkanth.
Ashwin was a part of the Chennai Super Kings in the last concluded season, earlier this year. It was the very first time that the Indian legend was dropped for a few games, which could well be one of the reasons for his sudden retirement decision.
Earlier, Ashwin also called time on his International career after getting limited opportunities in the playing XI when India traveled abroad.
R Ashwin's glorious IPL career
Ashwin kicked off his IPL career in 2009 with the Chennai Super Kings. He went on to play for five franchises in the league while also led the Kings XI Punjab in one season.
The legendary off-spinner enjoyed most of his success under MS Dhoni at CSK. He played an instrumental role in leading CSK to consecutive titles in 2010 and 2011.
"Ashwin has been one of the best IPL cricketers India has produced. His name to fame itself was through the IPL. Though he had done well in the domestic competitions and for India in Tests, but he was first recognized through the IPL and CSK, especially when he kept dismissing Chris Gayle for fun," added Srikkanth.
One of the most memorable moments of R Ashwin's IPL career came in the year 2011, when he dismissed Chris Gayle in the very first over of the finals. Gayle was in red-hot form and was the leading run-scorer of that season.
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Ashwin ended with 187 wickets in 221 games at an average of 30.22 and an economy of just 7, while also adding 833 crucial runs batting down the order. As he mentioned in his retirement post, his focus will now shift to exploring various global leagues.