'Ravichandran Ashwin would've been told to retire if...': Monty Panesar fires brutal dig at ECB

Former England National Cricket Team spinner Monty Panesar took a brutal dig at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as he spoke about the retirement of the star India National Cricket Team bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin.

Ravichandran Ashwin recently showcased his class in the first Test of the two-match series against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai.

The all-rounder displayed an awesome batting performance in the first innings when India were in trouble and slammed a terrific century. He smashed 113 runs off 133 balls, with 11 fours and 2 sixes.

He was also excellent with the ball as after going wicketless in the second innings of the match, he dismissed six Bangladesh batters in the final innings to register bowling figures of 6/88. His performances also helped him secure the Player of the Match award.

Meanwhile, Monty Panesar, who announced his retirement in February 2021 and represented England in 50 Tests, 26 ODIs, and 1 T20I, has said that Ravichandran Ashwin, who is 38-year-old, would have been told to retire if he was part of the English team despite his consistent performances.

Monty Panesar's words seemed like a direct dig at England team management and cricket board as they forced James Anderson into retirement despite the legendary pacer's desire to play for the national team for longer. Speaking to ANI, Panesar said:

"They experiment more. If Ashwin was English right now, then they would have told him to retire because they want to bring youngsters who have the potential to play. But I think England experiments more, and they like to experiment."

Monty Panesar settles Ravichandran Ashwin vs Nathan Lyon

Panesar further shared his take on the Ravichandran Ashwin vs Nathan Lyon debate. Comparisons have often been made between the two modern-day spin-bowling legends, with some rating Ashwin as the best while others labeling Lyon as the superior bowler.

Monty Panesar, meanwhile, feels that Nathan Lyon is overall a better bowler than Ashwin, but the latter is better when it comes to the Indian conditions.

"I think I see Nathan Lyon in my opinion. Yes, he is a better bowler. But I think Ashwin is a better bowler in India. I think he thinks like a batter when he bowls. He is able to pick out the weakness and he can exploit it, and that is his biggest advantage. He bats really well when he bowls; he knows what the batters are thinking," Panesar told ANI.

Notably, Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin don't see each other as fierce competitors, and they share great respect and admiration for each other. The duo have often been seen praising each other and will face off once again when India heads to Australia for the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 series.

Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin will be next seen in action in the second Test against the Bangla Tigers. The second and last Test of the India tour of Bangladesh 2024 is scheduled to commence on September 27 at Green Park in Kanpur.