Ashwin’s desire to evolve all the time made him stand out: Shastri

Melbourne, Dec 20 (PTI) Ravichandran Ashwin’s constant drive to evolve and excel in his craft, coupled with his focus on self-improvement rather than being concerned about the opponents made him stand out, says former India coach Ravi Shastri.

The 38-year-old surprised the cricketing world by announcing his retirement in the middle of the Test series against Australia after the end of the third Test in Brisbane on Wednesday.

“What stands out for me was his wanting to evolve all the time. He wasn’t the kind of guy satisfied as to where he started,” Shastri said on ‘The ICC Review’.

“For me it was his guile, wanting to excel in his craft and (especially) in the last two-three years the way he got the ball to the way, gave it a rip and got it to dip on the batsman with drift made him stand out,” Shastri said.

Known for his relentless drive to develop his game, Ashwin consistently worked on new deliveries and refined his action, even in the later stages of his career.

“He wanted new tricks to be learned. He pursued it, practiced hard at it and continued to look for new things as his career progressed, to keep up with the times,” Shastri said.

“His legacy will be of being a terrific match-winner, a fabulous record, 537 sticks. I mean anyone over 500 (in Test cricket) is special.”

Ashwin, who made his debut in 2011 against the West Indies, quickly cemented his place in India’s Test side. He retired as India’s second-highest wicket-taker with 765 scalps, including 537 in Tests.

Ashwin and fellow spinner Ravindra Jadeja often bowled in tandem, leading India to numerous victories. Shastri felt the “spin twins” played a role in each other’s success.

“And for him to do it in his span and the way he has done it, especially when it came to bowling in the last four or five years, I think in India, along with Jadeja, I think they were a terrific pair, the real spin twins.”

“They complemented each other well and they spurred each other on, so I would say a lot of Jadeja’s wickets in the last five-six years have come because of Ashwin and vice-versa.”

Shastri highlighted that Ashwin’s nearly identical record against left and right handed batters — 269 wickets against right-handers and 268 against left-handers — demonstrated just how versatile and effective the spinner was, regardless of the opponent or their playing style.

“You look at his record against right-handers, against left-handers, it’s pretty much similar, you know, which says it all. It didn’t matter to him who he was bowling against. He was up for it,” he added.