R Ashwin becomes 1st player in IPL history to retire out, Twitterati call him 'Isaac Newton of Cricket'

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Mumbai, April 10: Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin on Sunday (April 10) became the first player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he 'retired out' himself during the match against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium.

What Happened To Ashwin?

Ashwin walked into the middle in the 10th over after South Africa batsman Rassie van der Dussen was dismissed for 4 by LSG leg-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham. The senior India cricketer was promoted at number six to stem the rot as RR had lost four wickets halfway through the innings.

The right-handed batter first shared a stand of 72 runs with Shimron Hetmyer. After taking his time to settle down on a tricky Wankhede track, Ashwin scored 28 off 23 balls. He even smashed Gowtham for back-to-back maximums to up the ante for his team in the death overs.

Ashwin - who looked tired and realised he couldn't hit the balls well in the slog overs - eventually decided to retire out himself in the 19th over and helped his team blood in a fresh Riyan Parag into the middle.

The move paid off as Parag hit a maximum in the final over. Before getting dismissed for 8 off 4, he along with in-form Hetmyer ensured Rajasthan Royals posted a respectable 165-6. Hetmyer was the star of Royals' innings as the big-hitting West Indies batter scored an unbeaten 59 off 32 deliveries.

When Hetmyer was asked about Ashwin's decision to walk back the left-handed batsman said, "I had no idea about it, he was also a bit tired. It was a good decision, as the kid (Parag) hit a six for us. We are in with a good chance. The bowlers need to keep the ball in good areas, if they do so, we are in with a fighting chance."

Former West Indies captain, Ian Bishop while reacting to Ashwin's move tweeted, "Ashwin retired out is fascinating T20 tactics. T20 is causing us to rethink the way we conceive the game of in the 21st century."

Even former England captain Michael Vaughan lauded Rajasthan Royals for the brilliant move.

Here's how Twitterati reacted to Ashwin's move: