Did Ashwin get his timing wrong?

The off-spinner might have been convinced of the futility of swallowing that humiliation any longer.

Melbourne: A player should retire when people are asking why now, rather than why not now! This is one of cricket's timeless truisms. And to that extent, R Ashwin's decision to retire from all forms of international cricket stands the scrutiny of this axiom. But then cricket is also about timing. And this is where India's most prolific off-spinner has been called out.

Not least the batting legend Sunil Gavaskar who thought the just-retired off-spinner still had a role to play in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, and could have made himself unavailable for India selection at the end of the tour.   

Ashwin's move to retire in the middle of a series is not the first such instance in Indian cricket. Leg-spinning great Anil Kumble hung his boots after the third and penultimate Test against Australia in 2008 in Delhi after sustaining a finger injury and realising that he wouldn't be able play any active role in the series. The baton was passed on to MS Dhoni.

Dhoni took everyone by surprise when he called time on Test career following the Melbourne Test in 2014. A one-line email from BCCI popped up, conveying Dhoni's exit from red-ball cricket soon after he had addressed the media at the end of the Boxing Day Test.   

It's an eerie coincidence that all these calls have been made while playing against Australia.

So, should Ashwin have waited for the end of the series to disclose his decision? The answer could be both yes and no depending upon how you look at the issue.

Skipper Rohit Sharma dropped a cryptic line in post-match comments, saying "there are obviously a lot of things that went behind it. I am pretty sure Ash, when in position, will be able to answer that."

Knowing Ashwin, he would come out with his side of the story one day, but let's examine the available facts to decipher Ashwin's retirement.  

Rohit did give away some reasons that could have influenced Ashwin to take such a drastic step even as he advocated the player's right to do so in the middle of a series. 

"Some decisions are very personal and I don't think too many questions should be asked or raised," he said. "If a player has a choice, he has to be given that choice and somebody like Ashwin, who has been there for us for so many years, is allowed to make those kinds of decisions and we, as team-mates, have to respect it. He was very sure about what he wanted to do and the team has complete backing of his thought process."

Rohit then went on to reveal that this was playing on Ashwin's mind since the Perth Test where Washington Sundar was picked ahead of two proven seniors in Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin himself. While Ashwin was picked for the Adelaide Test, where he took just one wicket in India's 10-wicket loss, he was back on the bench for the Brisbane game.   

"He understands what the team is thinking, he understands what kind of combinations we are thinking," added Rohit.

Though Rohit said they will decide on the spinner's choice only after assessing the conditions in Melbourne and Sydney, it appears Ashwin was convinced he has played his last Test in Australia. India play their next Test series in June next year in England where too he hasn't been a preferred spinner.

Waiting for 10 more months to play his next Test could have played heavy on his mind. While Ashwin has been a second-choice spinner in overseas Tests for long, he might have been convinced of the futility of swallowing that humiliation any longer. And at 38, it's not easy to keep oneself motivated to stay match-fit without knowing when or if you will get another chance in the XI.

That said, has he left India a spinner short though? There are still two in the squad with Ravindra Jadeja more or less assured to play the Melbourne Test. While two should suffice, the team management, if it so wants, can always request for a replacement as there is plenty of gap before the fourth Test commences.