Ashwin Finally Discloses the Real Reason Behind His Retirement
Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement almost a year ago during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But fans didn't know what was the clear reason behind his retirement from the game was. Recently, Ashwin has revealed what actually made him take this tough decision.
Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement almost a year ago during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But fans didn't know what was the clear reason behind his retirement from the game was. Recently, Ashwin has revealed what actually made him take this tough decision.
The Indian team is currently going through a transition phase in the Test format. And this all started with the series of retirements which took place from the Indian team. Ravichandran Ashwin was the first to announce the same, as he retired midway during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He didn't just retire from Tests, he all forms of the game.
This was eventually followed by the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Cheteshwar Pujara. Ashwin's retirement from the game didn't bring any exact reasons behind why he quit his favourite sport despite being able to do well. But recently, Ashwin has revealed the reasons which made him retire from the game once and for all, linked to a promise which he made to himself.
1. Ashwin Reveals Retirement Reason
After India suffered a loss in the Test series against South Africa, Ravichandran Ashwin posted a video on his YouTube channel. He talked about the downfall of the Indian team in the Test format. It should also be noted that Ashwin was a part of the Indian team which in home series from 2013 to 2023.
In the video, he talked about the reason behind his retirement. Ashwin said,“I made myself a promise after the series loss against England in 2012 that if we ever lose another home series, I'll retire. New Zealand series loss is eventually the reason why I am sitting at home today, it broke me.”
Ravichandran Ashwin was a part of the Indian team which suffered a series loss against England by 2-1 in 2012. He played all four games for the Indian team and managed to take 14 wickets in 4 matches at an average of 52.64. Ashwin was the second highest wicket-taker for India, but it was for India to finish with a series win.
After this, he became a part of the team's dominance in home conditions. It lasted for more than a decade, and the Indian team was looking unstoppable at home conditions. But everything has an end, and so does the streak of Indian team's streak in home games. This end came during the New Zealand
In this series, India suffered its first home series loss in 12 years, losing to New Zealand by 3-0. Ashwin was also not able to perform at his best in this series, as he took just 9 wickets in 3 matches at an average of 41.22 runs per wicket. It was a devastating moment for the Indian team, and it seemed that the real downfall had just started.
2. Ashwin's Retirement
Ravichandran Ashwin didn't immediately retire after India had lost the home series against New Zealand. He was also a part of the Indian team against Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25. This eventually turned out to be his last Test series in the game, as Ashwin went on in the middle of the series.
During the Gabba Test, he was spotted in tears sitting near Virat Kohli. Fans knew that a bad announcement was eventually going to happen soon. Moreover, Ashwin had played just one of the first three Tests of the series, which was the Adelaide game. With the match ending in a draw, Ashwin from the game.
, “This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level. I do feel there's a bit of punch left in me as a cricketer, but I would like to express that and probably showcase that in club-level cricket, but this will be the last day [for India].”
Ashwin also talked about his Test teammates by saying,“Obviously there are a lot of people to thank, but I would be failing in my duties if I didn't thank the BCCI and the fellow team-mates. Several of them. I want to name a few of them. All the coaches who have been part of the journey. Most importantly, Rohit, Virat , Ajinkya , Pujara, who have taken those splendid catches around the bat to give me the number of wickets I've managed to get over the years.”
3. Home Dominance of Ash
If India was playing a Test match at home conditions, it was sure that Ashwin would be leading the spin department. He had formed a deadly spin duo with Ravindra Jadeja, and both of them had carried the Indian spin department for several series. With Jadeja putting up the pressure on one end, Ashwin was able to tackle the batsmen from the other end.
Ravichandran Ashwin in Home Tests:
- Innings: 127
- Overs: 2938
- Maidens: 614
- Wickets: 383
- Average: 21.57
- Economy: 2.81
- Five-wicket Hauls: 29
And Ashwin was very much familiar with the spin conditions prevailing in the different grounds of the country. He used his knowledge, skills, and practice to a great extent which helped India to remain undefeated for a long time in the Tests at home.
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