Ravichandran Ashwin. Pic Credits: X

BGT 2024-25 : Ravichandran Ashwin Plays Down Decision To Retire Midway Through BGT 2024-25

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Since the time Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement, there has been a lot of speculation about the abrupt decision that happened in the middle of the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy. Ravichandran Ashwin was picked in only one of the first three Tests, after which he announced his retirement from international retirement. After the decision, there have been several theories.

Veteran Indian spinner Ashwin sent shockwaves across the entire cricketing world when he announced his retirement from cricket in the middle of Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia earlier this month. While Ravichandran Ashwin made a statement to the press about his retirement, he refused to take any questions on the matter. However, the 37 year old had now finally broken his silence on international cricket retirement giving insights behind why he took the decision at this stage in his career.

Ravichandran Ashwin stunned the cricket world after the third India vs Australia Test in Brisbane as he announced his retirement from international cricket. Being the highest wicket-taker among active bowlers with 537 scalps, many expected Ashwin, 38, to continue for some more time. However, he retired with two Tests left in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Notably, Ravichandran Ashwin is the 7th highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 537 wickets in the 106 matches. In terms of Indian bowlers, R Ashwin is only behind Anil Kumble’s 619 wickets.

R Ashwin played his last Test match against Australia in Adelaide, but he had not announced his retirement then. So, the legend did not get any guard of honor in that Test, but he previously received guard of honor from the Indian team during his 100th Test match in March 2024 against England.

Ravichandran Ashwin A legendary off spinner of Indian cricket

India’s premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin surprised the cricketing world by announcing his retirement with immediate effect in the middle of the Test series against Australia. Ravichandran Ashwin retires from the game as the second highest wicket-taker for India in Tests with 537 scalps in 106 games, leaving him only behind Anil Kumble (619 wickets). He will continue to play club cricket. In his final press-conference, alongside an emotional India captain Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin broke his retirement news.

It was quite an emotional moment for Ravichandran Ashwin and his family at that time, and while giving guard of honor during his 100th test match, Rohit Sharma hugged Ashwin which created quite a news at that time.

Ravichandran Ashwin took nine wickets in that Test match, with four in the first innings and five in the second and was going great guns before the New Zealand series. He could not live upto his billing in the New Zealand series, and that probably triggered his retirement call.

To possess 537 wickets, currently eighth in the all-time list, 37 five-wicket hauls, and 3503 runs with six hundreds, mark R Ashwin as a great in Tests. It is a format he embraced well even if his initial foray into the spotlight were through his spells in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In ODIs, R Ashwin bagged 156 wickets and made a belated comeback too, such was his zeal to compete. R Ashwin also played 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is for India, taking 228 wickets across these two formats

R Ashwin is currently at the eighth position among bowlers who have taken the most wickets in Test cricket. He ended his stellar career with 106 Tests in which he claimed 537 wickets at an average of 24, with 37 five-fers and eight 10-wicket match hauls. He also scored six Test tons.
Muttiah Muralitharan (800) is the all-time leading Test wicket-taker. He is followed by Shane Warne (708), James Anderson (704), Kumble (619), Stuart Broad (604), Glenn McGrath (563) and Nathan Lyon (539).

R Ashwin is currently the eight-highest Test wicket-taker of all time. Not just that, he also has six hundreds to his name in the longest format . R Ashwin’s mid-way retirement during the Australia series has brought back memories of similar decisions by MS Dhoni and Anil Kumble in the past. However, R Ashwin will continue to play in IPL as he has retired only from international cricket and was recently bought by CSK in IPL 2025 Mega Auction.

India’s 3-1 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) has forced Indian cricket and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to conduct a deep introspection on the team’s performance with several on- and off-field issues surrounding the tour, with Ravichandran Ashwin’s mid-series retirement among the biggest shocks.
R Ashwin, one of India’s greatest-ever cricketers, bid adieu to international cricket after the third Test and decided to return home. The 38-year-old’s decision left the Indian cricket fraternity stunned and was seen as a sign of tensions in the dressing room and a rift with the team management.
R Ashwin opened up on the decision and stated that it was an instinctive call and he lost the creative side him. The legendary Indian spinner claimed he was surprised by the comments and it was nothing something that needed to be a made a big deal of him.

Ravichandran Ashwin plays down decision to retire midway through BGT 2024-25

Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired from international cricket midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, has played down all the clamor around him not getting a farewell game. Stating that it’s not a big deal, the Tamil Nadu cricketer explained that he quit simply because he felt his time was up.

Ashwin stunned the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from international cricket after the third Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy at The Gabba in Brisbane ended in a draw. Following his mid-series retirement, rumors began to spread about all not being well in the Indian camp.

On his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’ on Tuesday, January 14, Ashwin dismissed all contentious claims around his exit and put down his decision to the simple fact that his creativity was over. He said (as quoted by Times Now):

“I think a lot. What to do in life. You all need to understand, that this happens instinctively. If someone gets to know, that their job is done, once that thinking comes, there is nothing to think. People said a lot of things. I don’t think it is a big deal,”

“You think what happened. I did not play the first Test. I played the second did not play the third. It was possible I could play the next or not play the next. This is a side of my creativity and I was looking to explore it. At that time, I felt my creativity was over so it was over. It was simple,” the seasoned off-spinner added.

Addressing the fact that he did not get a proper farewell, Ashwin stated that he didn’t want to be in a place where was given a staged goodbye even though he did not deserve a place in the team. The veteran Indian spinner elaborated:

“What difference will this make if I came out with the ball and people are clapping? How long will people talk about it? When social media was not there, people talked about it and forgot after one week. There is no need for a farewell. The game has given us a lot and we have played with a lot of happiness.”

“I want to play more cricket. Where is the place? Obviously not in the Indian dressing room but from somewhere else. I want to be honest with the game. Imagine if I want to play farewell Test but I do not deserve a place. Imagine, I am only in the team because it is my farewell Test. I don’t want that. I felt there was more strength in my cricket. I could have played more but it is always better to finish when people ask ‘why’ and not ‘why not’,” Ashwin concluded.

Soon after Ravichandran Ashwin decided to end his career, fans noticed a surprising similarity between his last Test and T20I appearances. The off-spinner’s last Test appearance came against Australia at Adelaide Oval, where India lost by 10 wickets. Back in 2022, Ravichandran played his last T20I game for India against England in the T20 World Cup semifinals. It was also played at the Adelaide Oval, and India lost that game by 10 wickets as well. The 38-year-old will still continue to play in the IPL. He will play for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2025.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: “Side Arm Specialists In India Need To Work Hard To Prepare Batters For Tough Times”- Abhishek Jain Gives His Invaluable Insights

 

 

 


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