Ashwin played his last match against Australia on December 6 this month.
This is what Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin told captain Rohit Sharma before his shocking retirement decision. News agency PTI has made this claim citing sources. Ashwin, who played cricket for India for 14 years, was considering retirement after the series loss against New Zealand.
According to the report, he made it clear to the team management that he will not travel with the team if he does not get a place in the playing eleven for the series against Australia.
I convinced him to stay in the team till the Pink Ball Test: Rohit
Ashwin took 9 wickets in 3 matches of the series against the Kiwis at two turning tracks (Mumbai and Pune). While Sundar took 16 wickets in just 2 matches. Rohit was not present in the first Test of the series. After this, coach Gautam Gambhir finalized India's playing eleven. In which India's number-1 spinner was not named.
What Rohit said in the press conference proves that Ashwin was not happy with the playing XI of the Perth Test. Ashwin told me about his retirement when I came to Perth, the Indian captain said. I convinced him to stay in the team till the Pink Ball Test. He felt that he was no longer needed in this series.
It is important when a player like Ashwin, who has spent a lot of time with the Indian team and is a match winner for us, is given the freedom to take such a decision.
My last day as an Indian cricketer: Ashwin 38-year-old Ashwin announced his retirement as soon as the GABA Test was over. He reached the press conference with captain Rohit Sharma and said, I will not take much of your time. Today was my last day as a cricketer of the Indian team. I think I still have game left in me as a cricketer, but I will show it in club cricket.
R Ashwin made his debut in international cricket in 2010.
2 Reasons for Ashwin's Retirement
- After taking 537 Test wickets at the age of 38, Ashwin didn't want to sit in the dressing room wearing a fluorescent (green extra player's jersey). He planned to retire after the series loss against New Zealand.
- The team management is prioritizing Washington Sundar ahead of Ashwin in the Perth Test. This explains why he retired before the completion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25 series. Ashwin, the smart cricketer of international cricket, might have guessed that the team is thinking of promoting the youngster.
India changed 3 spinners in 3 Tests. India fielded 3 different spinners in the first 3 Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Ashwin was replaced by Washington Sundar in the Perth Test. Later, after the return of captain Rohit Sharma, Ashwin played the pink ball Test. While left arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja got a chance in the Gabba Test.
A BCCI source told PTI that Ashwin is India's legendary cricketer, he has the right to take his own decisions. The selection committee has nothing to do with it. India will probably not take more than two spinners and all-rounders in the Test series against England in June-July next year. Who is the next spinner after Ashwin?
India currently has Washington Sundar as the foremost off-spin all-rounder. Who took 16 wickets in 2 Test matches played against New Zealand. The next cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) will start from 2025 and run until 2027.
In such a situation, the selection committee still has time to conduct new experiments. The team has an option in domestic cricket in the form of Mumbai's Tanush Kotian.
Ashwin could retire after this series
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that the Chennai player should have waited for the series to finish before retiring. Harbhajan said, numbers don't lie. Ashwin's record is superb. In my opinion he should have played the last two Tests, but that is his personal decision.
After this decision of Dhoni, there was a shortage of Indian wicketkeeper batsmen. Former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni also took a similar decision to retire. He announced his retirement after the third Melbourne Test of the 2014 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Since then, India has been short of a wicketkeeper batsman for several years.
India certainly have two spinners in the remaining matches of the series against Australia, but in both SENA countries Ashwin is a more capable batsman than a good spinner. In such a situation, India may lose Ashwin in the match to be held in Sydney.
Dhoni announced his retirement in the middle of the 2014 Border-Gavaskar series.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
