CAPE TOWN: Pakistan’s ace batter Babar Azam on Friday, congratulated India’s bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who called time on his illustrious international career earlier this week.
The star batter, who is currently representing Pakistan in the three-match away ODI series against South Africa, paid tribute to Ashwin on his retirement by sharing a picture of the bowling all-rounder on his Instagram story.
“Congratulations on an incredible career, [Ravichandran Ashwin],” Babar wrote in the caption.
Babar’s heartfelt gesture was well perceived by Ashwin, who responded by posting the screenshot of the Pakistani batter’s post on his Instagram story.
The brief interaction between the duo highlights the mutual respect and camaraderie between Pakistani and Indian cricketers despite being considered one of the most fierce rivals on the field.
For the unversed, 38-year-old Ashwin, who was not a part of India’s playing XI for the recently-concluded third Test against Australia, accompanied skipper Rohit Sharma for the post-match press conference on Wednesday and announced his decision to retire from international cricket with immediate effect.
"This will be my last year as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level," said Ashwin.
"I feel there's still a bit of punch left in me as a cricketer, but I'd like to express that and showcase it at the club level," he added.
Ashwin’s career has been nothing short of spectacular. With 537 wickets in 106 Tests at an average of 24, he is India's second-highest wicket-taker in the format, behind only the legendary Anil Kumble.
He also leaves behind a legacy of 3,503 Test runs, including six centuries and 14 fifties.
In 106 Tests, Ashwin has taken 37 five-wicket hauls, the most by any Indian bowler in the format, second only to former Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan, who took 67 five-wicket hauls in his career.
Ravichandran Ashwin made his ODI debut for India against Sri Lanka in Harare on June 5, 2010, and has since claimed 156 wickets in 116 matches.
He was part of the Indian team that won the 2011 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, led by MS Dhoni.
Sohail Imran Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.- Babar Azam
- Ravichandran Ashwin
