Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement leads to Pakistan legend refusing to accept Jasprit Bumrah as the Greatest Indian bowler

India and Pakistan might not have great relations politically but the players have always kept mutual respect. Recently, former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal spoke on the sudden retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin and paid a heartfelt tribute to him.

Ajmal was full of praise for Ashwin and congratulated him on a fantastic career that spanned 14 years. Ajmal also opened up on his conversations with Ashwin when the two of them were playing against each other in the India-Pakistan games.

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Saeed Ajmal pays heartfelt tribute to Ravichandran Ashwin

After Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement news, the whole cricketing world was left in shock as it came at an unexpected time. Saeed Ajmal too was not ready for his news but heaped praises on the Indian legend.

Ajmal counted on the skills that Ashwin possessed that made him such a great bowler. He also remembered some of his encounters with the ace Indian offspinner and claimed that both players had mutual respect.

“Someone with 537 wickets in 106 Tests must be a great bowler but it is not only the record but the guile that made (Ravichandran) Ashwin a legendary bowler. We had a mutual respect for being the same style bowler. He used to admire me whenever I had success and when he had a good match I admired him," Ajmal was quoted as saying by ap7am.com.

Saeed Ajmal calls Ravichandran Ashwin "a great human being"

The former Pakistan offspinner also called Ashwin a great human and revealed that he was calm even during tense situations in the matches between India and Pakistan.

"The best thing about Ashwin was that he used to always meet in a joyous mood. That made him a great human being. No matter how tense the India-Pakistan games were, we always had a laugh and shared some precious moments on and off the field,” Ajmal added.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Saeed Ajmal were highly successful spin bowlers for their respective countries in Test cricket. But unfortunately, both of them didn't play any Test match against each other.

In fact, Ashwin didn't play any Test against Pakistan in his whole career. He made his Test debut in 2011 but India hasn't played a Test against Pakistan since 2007. However, both the players have come up against each other in several ODIs and T20Is.

Ajmal's last Test was a decade ago in 2014 against Sri Lanka. Since then, his career has been affected by allegations of chucking. He last played an international match in 2015 in a T20I against Bangladesh.

Ravichandran Ashwin's insane numbers in Tests

Ravichandran Ashwin played just a solitary game in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He played the second Test of the series in Adelaide and returned figures of 1-53 in the only innings he bowled. However, he was dropped for the third Test at Gabba as India went for Ravindra Jadeja who provided the team a solid batting option.

Ashwin retires as one of the most prolific cricketers to have played Test cricket. In 106 Tests, he picked up 537 wickets at a brilliant average of 24. He finished as India's second-highest wicket-taker in Tests after Anil Kumble. He finishes with 37 five-wicket hauls, which is the joint-most for any bowler in Tests.