In the middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024, Ravichandran Ashwin shocked the cricket world by suddenly announcing his retirement. He played the last match of his career in Adelaide, where India lost by 10 wickets in the Pink Ball Test. Ashwin, who took a total of 765 wickets in his international career, has now revealed the reason behind his decision to retire. Many people believed that he deserved a farewell match after reaching the status of a great cricketer.
In an interview with an English media channel, Ravichandran Ashwin shared that the question of retirement always comes to a cricketer’s mind once they reach a certain stage in their career. Ashwin said that he has never hidden his feelings and that when he feels the team no longer needs him, it will be his last day in cricket. He also mentioned that he has always prioritized the game of cricket over himself.
Why Did He Retire?
Ravichandran Ashwin, while explaining the reason for his retirement, said, “I had thought about retirement many times. I believed the last day of my career would come when I woke up and felt that I had no future here. Suddenly, I felt there was nothing more left for me to achieve.”
A flash of Ravichandran Ashwin’s 14-year international career 🏏
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— ICC (@ICC) December 19, 2024
India’s legendary spin bowler further added, “I have no regrets about my decision because I reached this point through hard work. I am happy that cricket came into my life, giving me a purpose to move forward. I have played Test cricket for a very long time, and it has taught me how to live life. This has been the best thing that happened in my life.”
Ashwin’s Cricket Record
Ravichandran Ashwin has played 106 Test matches for India since 2011. During this time, he has single-handedly led the team to victory in many matches. He has taken 537 wickets in Test matches and holds the record for taking 5 or more wickets in an innings 37 times, making him the second cricketer in the world to achieve this in Test cricket. Ashwin has also scored 3,503 runs in Tests, including 6 centuries and 14 half-centuries.
In ODI cricket, Ashwin has scored 707 runs in 116 matches, while taking 156 wickets. He has played 65 T20 matches for India, taking 72 wickets. Ashwin was part of the team that won the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy.