'The brain would always react first, he was an intelligent cricketer, a good thinking cricketer.'
Ravichandran Ashwin stunned the cricketing world with his sudden decision to retire from international cricket after the third Test between Australia and India finished in a draw in Brisbane on Wednesday.
'This will be my last day as an Indian in all formats of the game,' said the spinner, who leaves the international game with a record haul of 537 wickets in 106 Tests -- making him the seventh highest wicket-taker in Test history.
Ashwin's surprise caught many by surprise including his childhood coach Sunil Subramaniam.
"I was very surprised. He could have played the World Test Championship 2025-2027 cycle, there were quite a few home Tests, he could have called it quits after that," Subramaniam, who first discovered Ashwin during an Tamil Nadu Cricket Association bowlers camp in 2007, tells Rediff.com's Harish Kotian.
Subramanian, who coached Ashwin until 2014, played a significant role in shaping the early part of his career.
'He was absolutely fearless. He always wanted to try out new things, to keep evolving, setbacks seemed to push him to do better," Subramaniam recalls about his ward.
Ashwin just announced his retirement. What is your first reaction?
He had a fantastic journey, achieved all that he could. This is the right time to leave even if everyone is asking 'Why now?'. It has been a great journey.
You first saw him in 2007. Did you ever imagine he would become one of India's greatest spinners?
Nobody thinks on those lines at the start. But when he made his Test debut (against the West Indies) in 2011 and the won the Man of the Match award then I knew he would go on to have a long career for India.
Were you surprised by the timing of his decision?
Of course, I was very surprised. He could have played the World Test Championship 2025-2027 cycle, there were quite a few home Tests, he could have called it quits after that.
But he has retired now, we got to respect his decision, maybe he had his reasons.
Did he speak to you before making this decision?
No, we didn't speak. I last spoke to him around 2, 3 months back.
Ashwin is considered one of the most intelligent cricketers. He constantly evolved as a bowler, developing countless variations. What are your thoughts on his growth as a spinner?
He has always a thinking person. He was his own man. It was his fearlessness, Ashwin was absolutely fearless. He always wanted to try out new things, to keep evolving, setbacks seemed to push him to do better.
To me, he was absolutely fearless. The brain would always react first, he was an intelligent cricketer, a good thinking cricketer.
