Kumble furious with Team India management over Ashwin’s unceremonious exit: ‘Deserve a big farewell’. Very disappointed’

Team India is undergoing a potential transition in the longest format. The bells of change started ringing after the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, when Ravichandran Ashwin announced a sudden retirement from international cricket. The off-spinner played in the second Test of the series but opted to retire with immediate effect and return home the next day.

The suddenness of the decision has raised questions about the Indian management’s management of the team, and former Indian captain, Anil Kumblehe, too, expressed his disappointment on this subject. In his column for Sportstar, Kumble said Ashwin deserved a “big farewell” and there should have been a plan in place for his retirement.

“The players who have contributed for so long deserve a big farewell. You need to give them a proper plan on how you want them to leave the game. I was very disappointed with the way Ashwin left,” said writes Kumble.

“Many cricketers in the past have also missed a farewell. The kind of standards he has set will not be easy for anyone to meet. He served Indian cricket with distinction.

Ashwin retired as India’s second highest wicket-taker in the longest format, only behind Kumble himself. While Kumble finished his career with 619 wickets to his name, Ashwin had 537.

Ashwin was expected to cross 619

Kumble revealed that he told Ashwin that the off-spinner should aim for the 600-wicket mark and then 619.

“I remember telling Ashwin that he should hit 600 when he crossed the 500 mark – then 619. The way he was going, he had a very good chance. He didn’t have a great series against New Zealand, but that was one series in 14 years,” Kumble said.

Ashwin suffered a rare failure in the series against New Zealand, where he finished with 9 wickets in three Tests. The series also saw India’s first ever clean defeat in a three-Test series at home, and India’s first defeat in a Test series at home since 2012.