Ashwin has always been a 'bit of a thorn': Mitchell Starc

Tributes continued to pour in for Ravichandran Ashwin, who announced his retirement from international cricket on December 18 (Wednesday). Mitchell Starc was the latest one in the list. Starc said that Ashwin, who picked up 115 Test wickets against Australia, had always been a bit of a thorn.

"He has always been a bit of a thorn in our side over in India and played a part in series here in Australia. It's been a fantastic career, and I'm sure it will be celebrated that way. His numbers speak for themselves. He's been an incredible bowler for India for a long time, over 500 wickets," Starc said on SEN Radio.

"He has got a close working relationship with Nathan [Lyon], and that mutual respect between teams and for someone of his caliber - congratulations on his career. It's been a fantastic career, and I'm sure it will be celebrated that way."

Ashwin is India's second-most successful player with 765 wickets across formats, only behind Anil Kumble, who picked up 956 scalps. He was part of the ongoing Test series against Australia and last played in Adelaide before announcing his retirement after the Brisbane Test, where he didn't feature in the XI.