Ravichandran Ashwin made history earlier this month when he became the first player to ever 'retire out' in the history of the Indian Premier League.
During the clash between Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants, Ashwin was promoted up the order to help Rajasthan rebuild after they lost four cheap wickets. After sharing a crucial 68-run partnership with Shimron Hetmyer, Ashwin retired out during the penultimate over of his side's innings to allow finisher Riyan Parag a maximum of ten deliveries to up the ante.
And Parag struck eight runs off four balls at a strike rate of 200 to help push Rajasthan up to a first innings total of 165-6. In the end, Rajasthan won the match by just three runs, justifying the decision to retire Ashwin out.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin opened up about the move, describing it as a "tactical decision" and comparing it with the use of substitutes in football. He said: "It was a tactical move. Riyan Parag was the next batter and when that Gowtham over was over, I gave myself some time to see whether I got a six or a few fours.
"I threw the kitchen sink at everything but I couldn't get the timing going. If Riyan Parag could come and smash even two sixes, it would be handy and so, it was a tactical decision.
"It might work sometimes and it might not work sometimes. These things happen quite frequently in football. And we haven't cracked the T20 format fully yet."
Ashwin also claimed T20 cricket is "heading towards where football has reached", adding: "This is a millennial sport. This is the next generation's sport. In fact, in football, Cristiano Ronaldo or [Lionel] Messi keep scoring goals frequently. But their team's goalkeepers should save goals. And their defenders should defend well. Only then can Cristiano Ronaldo or a Messi can get the limelight.
"There is a popular saying, 'Behind every successful man, there is a woman.' Likewise, behind every successful sportsperson, there is an underrated player who has done his job quietly and goes unnoticed.
"But T20 as a sport is heading towards where football has reached. Just like how they are using substitutes, what I did was similar. Already we are late. But I believe this will happen quite a lot in the coming days. This won’t be a stigma. This will happen more times."
