India's World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev would like to know why Ravichandran Ashwin decided to call it a day all of a sudden.
Rohit Sharma became the seventh Indian to complete 100 catches in One-Day Internationals, while young speedster Harshit Rana went level with decorated spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the record of most wickets for India after a player's first eight ODIs, in the third and last match of the series against Australia, in Sydney, on Saturday.
Ashwin's wife Prithi and daughters Akhira and Aadhya cheered him on from the stands, a heartwarming moment that captured their joy and pride of his accomplishment.
Shubman Gill joined an unwanted list following the loss to Australia in the first ODI at Perth, becoming the second Indian skipper after Virat Kohli and overall ninth captain to lose their first matches in all three formats as captain.
Nayar believes that the whole team has bought into Rohit and Gambhir's philosophy, including the two spin greats.
Ashwin has 20 scores of fifty or more in Tests, three more than Sir Richard Hadlee, while recording the same number of five wicket hauls as the great Kiwi in the format (36 five wicket hauls), solidifying his status as one of the format's greatest all-rounders.
'I guess the thinking going into the last Test, we wanted to strengthen the batting'
Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Mukund, who represented India in seven Tests from 2011-17, said: "I think Shubman has it in him to become an all-format captain, but I do not think India should have an all-format captain anymore."
India included two debutants -- Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy -- while leaving out Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Rohit's struggles continued during the first ODI in Nagpur, where he managed just 2 runs off 7 balls, though India secured a four-wicket victory.
Spin great Harbhajan Singh said India don't have a specialist off-spinner for Test cricket.
Never thought I would be back in India in million years, this feels surreal: Harmer
'I wanted people to know me for who I am, because a lot of times, Ashwin's picking up a wicket and Virat Kohli is all over the place.'
'He's just jumping about, and people very often tend to believe that Ashwin's the one that's absolutely serious and Virat's the one that's having all the fun.'
India's T20 World Cup squad had space for only 15, but the pool of quality options ran far deeper. The consequence was inevitable: several players with genuine claims were left on the outside, the unlucky ones who narrowly missed the cut.
The once familiar sight of nimble-footed, whippywristed Indian batters dominating spin looks a distant memory, replaced by the horror of watching South Africa off-spinner Simon Harmer wreak havoc by taking 17 wickets over the two Tests.
Earlier this week, the duo arrived in Perth with the first batch of the team and practised relentlessly in the nets.
'Constant changes to the playing XI, batting orders, and frequent rotations prevent stability.'
Even Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel had said that both of them might need to play a bit of domestic cricket to get into the groove and could have actually played the India A series.
Ashwin is focused on taking it one day at a time.
Key players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to consider stepping away from the Test format to make way for a new generation of talent.
'When you are playing on spin-friendly pitches, you need to prepare differently.'
Growing up, he sharpened his skill watching videos of West Indian spinner Sunil Narine and Indian legend Ravichandran Ashwin. He was fortunate to meet Ashwin during a stint with KKR in the IPL.
Mitchell Starc has paid a glorious tribute to the just-retired India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin
Stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma can extend their careers till the 2027 ODI World Cup if the two Indian superstars continue their age-defying batting efforts, feels New Zealand pace great Tim Southee.
Former Australia wicketkeeper and captain Tim Paine doesn't regret sledging Ravichandran Ashwin during the third Test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
During the first Test against England in Hyderabad, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja surpassed the iconic pair of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh as the most successful Test bowling duo for India.
Ashwin wants this "unexpected hero" to surprise against Pakistan during Asia Cup
Ashwin was seen taking bowling lessons of the support staff in an indoor net facility.
Indian opener KL Rahul ended a long home-soil century drought, scoring his 11th Test hundred in India's opening match against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday. He reached 100 off 197 balls, hitting 12 stylish fours.
'This will be a testing time for Indian cricket. And I'd say this truly marks the beginning of the Gautam Gambhir era.'
Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah overtook Bhuvneshwar Kumar to become team's fourth-highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket.
The Indian women's team is set to leave for New Delhi from Mumbai on Tuesday for a special meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to celebrate their World Cup triumph.
'Many things that are happening are not good for Indian cricket.'
Following his match-winning spell and century against Bangladesh in the first Test, Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin opened up on idolising legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh during his junior-age cricket days and replicating his bowling action during matches.
Former India off-spinner R Ashwin revealed he considered retiring after his 100th Test but ultimately decided to call it quits during the tour of Australia.
Ashwin unhappy with Rishabh Pant withdrawing Rathi's run-out appeal against Jitesh
'I think he is going to carry Yuvraj's legacy forward. He is a phenomenal talent.'
'Dear @ashwinravi99, your cricketing achievements have brought joy to 1.4 billion Indians. Wishing strength and well-being to your family during this challenging time.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday for the "extraordinary milestone" of taking 500 Test wickets.
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