Virat Kohli and R Ashwin shared a heartfelt hug amid retirement rumours |Courtesy - screengrab (Disney Hotstar)
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- R Ashwin was visibly emotional
- Virat Kohli shared a heartfelt hug with Ashwin
- India and Australia played a draw at Gabba
Ravichandran Ashwin appeared nearly in tears as Virat Kohli shared an emotional embrace with him in the Indian dressing room while the players waited for rain to stop at Gabba on the fifth day of play. The visuals went viral just before Ashwin confirmed his retirement in the post-match press conference.
The visuals were shown by the official broadcaster in India and led to Sunil Gavaskar, Matthew Hayden, and Mark Nicholas to speculate that Ashwin could soon hang his boots before the official announcement came.
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Ashwin is not part of India's playing XI in the Gabba Test. He was also left out of the line-up for the Perth Test but played in Adelaide, where he picked up one wicket and made knocks of 22 and 7 each. Ravindra Jadeja was India's preferred spinner at Gabba while Washington Sundar got the nod in the victory in the series opener.
While Ashwin is India's second most successful bowler in history with 537 wickets in 106 games, he has largely found himself on the sidelines outside Asia when India chose to pick just one spinner. Jadeja has usually got the nod in recent years as the star all-rounder has emerged as one of India's best batters overseas.
Coming into the series, the future of Kohli, Ashwin, Jadeja, and Indian captain Rohit Sharma was under major doubt after the team's humiliating 3-0 defeat to New Zealand. The quartet are among the greatest cricketers India has produced, but with a transition looming in the longest format, their future has come under the scanner.
The rain-hit Gabba Test ended in a draw, which means the series is set for a dramatic ending with two Test matches remaining and the series level at 1-1. The fourth Test is scheduled at MCG from December 26, while the final match is in Sydney from January
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