Ravichandran Ashwin played 106 Tests in his career but unlike previous legendary Indian spinners like Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, he never got the opportunity to play against arch-rivals Pakistan. Ashwin made his Test in debut in 2011 and by that time bilateral ties between India and Pakistan had come to an end.
In ODIs and T20s as well, Ashwin played in only handful of games – 8 in 50-over cricket and 6 in 20-over cricket. However, the Tamil Nadu all-rounder played a big hand in India’s stunning T20 World Cup 2022 win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) against Pakistan when he hit the winning boundary to get Team India across the line after Virat Kohli’s brilliant knock.
Ashwin bid adieu to international cricket in the middle of the five-match Test series against Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), hanging up his boots after the drawn third Test at the Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday. Among the many tributes that came his way, only one was from a Pakistan cricketer from the current team and it was none other than that legendary Babar Azam.
The former Pakistan captain took to his Instagram handle to wish Ashwin after his retirement. “Congratulations on an incredible career @rashwin99,” Babar wrote in his Instagram story along with a picture of Ashwin.
Babar Azam’s Instagram story wishing Ravichandran Ashwin. (Source: X)
Meanwhile, Babar returned to form brilliantly in the second ODI against South Africa at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Thursday, scoring 73 in his side’s 81-run win. In the process, Pakistan have also taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
Babar now needs only 95 runs in his next three innings to become the fastest batter to score 6,000 runs in ODI cricket. Former South African batter Hashim Amla currently holds the record – having achieved this feat in 123 innings while India’s Virat Kohli had reached this landmark in 136 innings.
