Brisbane, December 18 (UITV) – Indian cricket’s veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced a historic decision on Tuesday and announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. Ashwin made this announcement after the end of the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test match in Brisbane, which was drawn due to rain. On this occasion, Ashwin got emotional during the press conference and talked about ending his cricket journey.
In the post-match press conference, Ashwin said, “This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats of international cricket. I think I still have some strength left as a cricketer, but now I want to expose it in club cricket and maybe show my potential there, but this is my last day for India.” He further said that this has been a very special journey for him and he will always remember his experiences related to cricket. Ashwin said that he has spent a lot of good moments with the Indian team and has made many memories, especially with captain Rohit Sharma and other teammates, some of which he has lost, but he will always cherish them in his heart.
Summing up his illustrious career of 12 years in cricket, Ashwin said, “We are now the last OG (all-generation) out of the dressing room. It is an emotional moment and I consider it as my last day of playing at this level.” Ashwin also emphasized that he will continue to play at the club cricket level in the future and will take his cricket journey forward from there.
Ashwin made his mark in Indian cricket by taking 537 wickets in 106 Test matches at an average of 24. He became India’s second-highest wicket-taker after Anil Kumble. Apart from this, he also performed well with the bat and scored six Test centuries and 14 half-centuries. His last international match was played in Adelaide, where he took 1-53 wickets in the day-night Test match.
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When the match was delayed due to rain and Ashwin was seen hugging Virat Kohli emotionally from the dressing room balcony, it gave indications that his retirement was coming. The announcement of his retirement was a shock to his fans and fellow players. Ashwin also expressed his gratitude to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and his teammates on this occasion. He said, “There are many people to thank, but if I do not thank the BCCI and my teammates, I will fail in my duties. I will definitely take their names.” Ashwin especially thanked the coaches, captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, who supported him in his journey and also thanked the Australian cricket team, against whom he enjoyed playing a lot.
Ashwin played a key role in India’s 12-year-long domestic dominance in Test cricket and contributed significantly to winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia in 2020-21. He is one of the 11 all-rounders in the world to do the double of 3000 runs and 300 wickets in Test cricket. Apart from this, he has also won a record 11 Player-of-the-Series awards, equal to Muttiah Muralitharan, which is a testimony to his bowling and all-round performance.
Talking about his retirement, Ashwin said, “I think it is already getting long and I will not take any questions. It is really a very emotional moment and I don’t think I am in a position right now where I can answer the questions properly. Please forgive me for this.” He also thanked the journalists and said, “Thank you for always writing our journey with good words and sometimes bad things too. This is a relationship that we will always maintain. I hope that the support and love you have given me will be given to the future cricketers as well.”
Ashwin expressed his desire to stay associated with cricket even after his retirement. He said, “This is a game that has given me everything and I will never go away from it. I can stay associated with the game, because it will always have a special place for me.” Ending his emotional address, Ashwin thanked everyone and said, “Once again, thank you all. Will meet you all soon. As a cricketer, I have closed it now.”
This retirement of Ashwin is like the end of an era for Indian cricket, as he has been a bowler who led Team India to victory in many matches and made his mark in Indian cricket with his hard work and dedication. It will not be easy for anyone to fill his role after his retirement, but his contribution will always be remembered in the history of Indian cricket.
