Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has said that Ravichandran Ashwin stood out among spinners due to his desire to keep evolving all the time. The latter called time on his prolific career, finishing as India's second-highest wicket-taker in Tests. Ashwin's announcement came in the middle of the crucial Australia tour and caught several people off-guard.

Shastri has paid a special tribute to Ashwin, saying that his quality to keep evolving made him special. The latter announced his international retirement on the fifth day of the Brisbane Test.

Throughout his 14-year-long career, Ashwin has been known as one of the most knowledgeable minds across the cricketing world and he kept applying those quirks to his game as well.

“I think what stands out for me was his wanting to evolve all the time. He wasn't the kind of guy satisfied with where he started," Shastri said while speaking on the latest episode of ICC Review.

“He wanted new tricks to be learned. He pursued it, practised hard at it and continued to look for new things as his career progressed, to keep up with the times," Shastri said.

Ashwin dropped a bombshell on Wednesday when he announced his retirement from top-flight cricket at the end of the drawn third Test against Australia in Brisbane. He flew back to Chennai the same evening and was welcomed warmly by his family and friends in the city.

“And for him to do it in his span and the way he has done it, especially when it came to bowling in the last four or five years, I think in India, along with (Ravindra) Jadeja, I think they were a terrific pair, the real spin twins," Shastri said.

The former India head coach, who oversaw India's two series victories over Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21, spoke about how Ashwin's pairing with Jadeja helped the duo in their quest for wickets as well.

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