Nathan Lyon puzzled by R Ashwin's sudden retirement in the middle of Border-Gavaskar Trophy: 'Scratching my head'

Nathan Lyon, a fierce rival and peer of Ravichandran Ashwin, paid a heartfelt tribute to India's spin wizard upon his retirement. In Lyon's eloquent praise, there seemed to be a subtle hint at the reason behind Ashwin's decision to announce his retirement during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Ashwin's final appearance for India came in the pink-ball day-night Test at Adelaide last week, a move reminiscent of MS Dhoni's unexpected retirement during the 2014-15 tour Down Under.

As it turns out, last week's pink-ball day-night Test at Adelaide will go down as Ashwin's final appearance for India. Ashwin would have skipped that one if it were up to him. The decision is slightly surprising given India are yet to play a Test match in Sydney, which historically has a fair amount of assist for the spinners. India could have played two spinners – Ashwin being one – but the master tactician clearly had other plans. As Lyon poured his heart out, paying his respects towards Ashwin, he made a valid point which could well have led to Ashwin making up his mind dating to prior to the start of the series.

"Nothing but respect. Just the way Ash has conducted himself on and off the field for a number of years now, and his skillset is incredible. We've got different opinions on different things; there's no right or wrong. But to have those conversations with a bowler like Ashwin is amazing. From different variations to different tactics, understanding what he's trying to do. We are both very different. So our conversation this morning was brilliant and I hope we have more through the series and in the future as well," Lyon said while speaking to Australian broadcasters during the rain break on Day 5 of the Gabba Test.

"It's an interesting question," Lyon said when asked about India using three different spinners in Perth, Adelaide and now Brisbane. "You've got someone sitting [on the bench] with 530-odd Test wickets and I'm walking to the ground, scratching my head saying 'what are you doing?' He's proven that he is one of the world's best spin bowlers ever to play the game. [It] more than surprises me. That's the quality of Indian cricketers they have in that squad. You've got Ashwin with 530-odd wickets [536] and then Jadeja over 300 wickets [319]. It's pretty remarkable to see the quality of players sitting on the bench. It's a good headache to have."

And with that, Lyon hit the hammer on its head. While there is no doubting Ashwin's pedigree as a spinner, the fact that Ashwin probably doesn't see himself featured in India's plans led to the curtain call. India's next Test assignment after this series is in July when they travel to England for a five-Test series. The last time Ashwin played a Test match in England was in the 2021 WTC final against New Zealand in Southampton. Before that, in 2018. In fact, during the 2021 tour, Ashwin did not feature in India's Playing XI in any of the five Tests.

His record in SENA nations (72 wickets from 26 Tests) is a far cry as compared to his performances at home (383 wickets in 65 matches). And hence, with the clock ticking, Ashwin saw it only fitting to ride into the sunset on his own terms. Ashwin's troubled knee only solidified his decision to retire, which he had first contemplated in late 2021.

Besides, India are in the middle of a transition period and planning for the next cycle of the World Test Championship, where a lot of youth is expected to feature. With Washington Sundar proving his mettle in the home series against New Zealand, the all-rounder is expected to be Ashwin's successor. And India would be hoping a worthy one.

Lyon wasn't done just yet though. Shortly after Ashwin made it official, Lyon once again congratulated Ashwin on a wonderful and legendary career.

"Ash, as a fellow off-spinner I not only thank you but also you've been an incredible player for India and world cricket. It's been a pleasure to watch you, play against you, compete against you. I want to wish you all the best. Congrats on an amazing career. Congratulations and all the best," he added.