Was Ravichandran Ashwin's Role Underestimated Overseas? Cheteshwar Pujara Highlights Crucial 'Supporting' Role

India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has said that while Ravichandran Ashwin's performance at home received a lot of appreciation, his game overseas didn't since he wasn't the one picking up five-wicket hauls. The latter announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday and it came as a shocker since India are in the middle of a tour.

Unlike the first Test in Australia which India won by a whopping 295 runs, they lost the Adelaide Test by 10 wickets and Ashwin, who was part of the XI, was expectedly benched for the Brisbane Test.

While the ace India spinner was indispensable in home Tests, he wasn't considered a sure starter overseas since spinners aren't effective enough in those conditions.

“Yes, it is underrated. When he performs the way he performs in India, most of the time it will be fifers or it will be three or four wickets, but there are times when he will pick up two or three important wickets away from India and those are key wickets," Pujara said while speaking on ESPNCricinfo.

“It is not about picking a fifer. It is about picking those two-three key wickets to support the other bowlers because overseas the main goal of a pacer is that they have to take fifers or do the majority of the damage. Whereas Ashwin’s role becomes a supporting one, where he picks up those two-three important key wickets and sometimes we underestimate that role," Pujara added.

Ashwin surprised the cricketing world by announcing his retirement in the middle of the Test series against Australia after the end of the third Test in Brisbane on Wednesday.

Known for his relentless drive to develop his game, Ashwin worked on new balls and refined his actions, even in the later stages of his career.

Ashwin will next feature in IPL 2025, where he will represent the Chennai Super Kings.

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