R Ashwin, ace India off-spinner, called time on his international career and announced retirement on December 18, 2024. He did this after the third BGT 2024 Test between Australia and India in Brisbane ended in a draw due to rain ruining day 5 of the Test.
Ashwin, who played only one Test, in Adelaide in the ongoing series, made the revelation during the post-match conference seated alongside captain Rohit Sharma.
In all he played 106 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 65 T20Is for India, taking 537, 156, and 72 wickets respectively. He also scored 3503 runs in Tests with 6 centuries and an average of 25.75. He was also part of India’s 2011 ICC World Cup and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy winning teams.
And now Cricbuzz has reported that more retirements might follow Ashwin’s decision, as the Indian team is set to undergo transformation ahead of the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC 2027) cycle.
India will begin their next WTC cycle with a five-Test series in England and as per the report, multiple huge changes are expected in the Indian side.
“Indian team is expected to undergo a transformation soon - possibly by the start of their next Test series in England in the coming summer of 2025. As in the past, the credit or discredit will likely be linked to the Test series in Australia. Over the years, Australia tours have gained a notorious reputation for bringing cricketing careers to an agonizing end,” Cricbuzz report stated.
The report also said that Ashwin’s retirement is just the first in a long line of expected announcements, like something similar that happened in 2008.
“It is unlikely that anyone would openly admit it was a nudge, but there is a perception that this announcement is just the first in a series expected to follow - much like in 2008 when several senior players retired in quick succession. The signals, whether conveyed directly or indirectly, seem to have been sent, setting the stage for a transition,” the report further stated.
Coming to Ashwin, the report added that while Ashwin has seen many spinners being preferred over him in India XI, this was the first time, an off-spinner in Washington Sundar, played before him in India’s first Test of the series against Australia in Perth.
The report also touched upon how Ashwin was part of the leadership group in the Indian team, his captaincy for Tamil Nadu was heavily scrutinized. Ashwin was also credited with the first player to place a fielder right behind the umpire in between long off and long on. Similar tactic was later used by MS Dhoni to neutralize Kieron Pollard’s big hitting in the IPL.
Ashwin also lost their captaincy role in the Indian team to Ajinkya Rahane, whom selectors thought was easy to deal with. Rahane also played a huge role in India’s success overseas, while Ashwin was usually benched in places like England, Australia, and New Zealand, with Jadeja being preferred as a spin all-rounder.
(Cricbuzz inputs)
