Ravichandran Ashwin shocked the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from international cricket midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. His decision came after the third Test in Brisbane.
The off-spinner was not part of India's playing XI at the Gabba. He was also left out of the line-up for the series opener in Perth but played in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval, where he claimed one wicket and scored 29 runs across two innings.
Ashwin represented India in 106 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 65 T20Is, picking up 765 wickets across all formats. He finished his career as the country’s second highest wicket-taker (537 scalps) in Test cricket, only behind Anil Kumble’s record tally of 619 dismissals.
Speaking at RevSportz’s Trailblazers Conclave, Ashwin recently opened up on his retirement decision.
"One of my strongest assets, I feel, is my ability to make decisions. Whether it's right or wrong is for people to debate. But at the end of the day, it's my life. I need to do it on my terms. The moment, I think, at Perth, when we had Jaddu and myself as the lead spinners in the side, and Washy played that game in Perth, and then the next game, again, I came in, and then I had to again make way, was kind of suggestive or indicative to me that my time was up. And if somebody else had to come and take up that place, by all means, they need their space and time. And I'm not one of those guys who will hang around, you know, wanting to see if I can make a comeback. I've had far too many. I've come far, far too much in my life to be able to, you know, dilly-dally around with all those things," Ashwin said.
His retirement was followed by batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma quitting Test cricket in May last year.
Ashwin also addressed the rumours of India head coach Gautam Gambhir pushing senior players towards retirement.
"If somebody has to have angst against Gautam, it's me, right? I come out on his second or third tour as coach..." a witty Ashwin replied, before explaining that Gambhir is well within his right to work with a certain plan for the betterment of the side.
"My dad is huge well wisher. He might have some angst on the outside. When I came back from Australia, he said something in the media. I have consistently told him that 'do not speak ill of a player when I am in the house'. We have fought over these things. Gautam, the coach, has a job to do for me in many ways, and even if he thought that I must move on or Virat must move on or Rohit must move on, it's okay; it's fine because he has a job to do. And at that particular instance, if I felt bitter about it, that's also okay because it's my emotion. But if you detach yourself from that, it's clear to me that he has a job to do, and maybe I do not have a future in his regime," Ashwin added.
"But I have always wanted to shed ego as the first thing in my life, and I'm still in the process of shedding ego. We all are human beings. It comes to us. But if you detach yourself, things do make sense. Sometimes, because of the adulation we get in this country, we do end up thinking that we are invincible, which is not the case," he remarked.
