“This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level,” Ashwin said after the Brisbane Test at a press conference. “I feel I have some oomph left as a cricketer, but I would like to express it and probably show it in cricket at club level, but it will be the last day (for India) .
“There are obviously a lot of people to thank, but I would be failing in my duties if I didn’t thank the BCCI and my teammates. Several of them. I want to name a few. All the coaches who were part of the trip. Most importantly, Rohit, Virat (Kohli), Ajinkya (Rahane), (Cheteshwar) Pujara, who took those splendid catches around the bat to give me the number of wickets I managed to get over the years.
“A big thank you also to the Australian cricket team, who were very fierce competitors. I enjoyed my time playing against them.
Asserting that he would not take any questions from the media and was there only to make the news public, Ashwin said, “Really a very emotional moment. I don’t think I can answer the questions correctly. Please forgive me for this. Thank you for being the journalists you were, writing good things and of course writing unpleasant things on occasion. It’s a relationship that I think we will maintain forever, and I hope that upcoming cricketers will also receive the same love.
And finally, he confirmed that he will stay connected to the game, and maybe not just as a cricketer in the IPL (he is now part of the Chennai Super Kings) or the TNPL (Dindigul Dragons). “See you soon. As a cricketer, I have just called it quits. I might continue to be involved in the game because it is a game that has given me everything.
He was bought by CSK, his first IPL team, for INR 9.75 crore in the mega auction last month, and will play for them in the 2025 IPL.
Rohit, sitting alongside Ashwin as the latter made his announcement to the press, said: “Some decisions are very personal and I don’t think too many questions should be asked or raised. If a player has (made) a choice, he should have that choice, and someone like Ashwin, who has been there for us for so many years, is allowed to make those kinds of decisions for himself and us, in as teammates, we have the right to do so. to respect it. He was very sure of what he wanted to do and the team fully supported his thought process.
“Just keep Ash in mind, give him that respect and tell him that if that’s what he thinks, we should allow him to think that way. And we should all stick to what he’s thinking at that moment. »
Rohit Sharma on R Ashwin’s retirement
“Obviously there’s a little bit of a gap (between tests) now, so for us as a team to regroup and put our thoughts together on this is very, very crucial right now. We have time to think about how we need to go further But speaking of Ash, he was very sure of his decision.
“I heard (about the plan to retire) when I arrived in Perth. Obviously I wasn’t there for the first three or four days of the first Test match, but it was on his mind ever since and there’s obviously a lot that happened behind that. I’m pretty sure Ash will be able to answer that question, but he understands what the team is thinking, he understands what kind of combinations we’re thinking about, and when we came here as well, we didn’t know exactly what spinner was going to unfold. play. We just wanted to evaluate and see what kind of conditions we would find ourselves facing.
“But when I got to Perth it was a conversation we had and I somehow convinced him to stay for the pink ball Test match and then it happened to so that if he felt that if I wasn’t needed right now in the series, I’d better say goodbye to the game.
“But obviously we haven’t been to Melbourne yet, so we don’t know what kind of conditions we expect there and what kind of combination. But just keep Ash in mind, giving him the respect that if that’s what he thinks, we should allow him to think that way. And we should all stick to what he’s thinking right now.
“That’s what I’m thinking about right now and that’s the kind of conversation we had as well – me and Gautam Gambhir as well. It’s important when a player like him who has had so many moments with the Indian team and has truly been a big match winner for us is allowed to take these decisions on his own and what if that was the case now , so be it.
Ashwin ends his Test career as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in the format, with 537 wickets at an average of 24 in 106 Tests, only behind Anil Kumble, who finished with 619 wickets from 132 Tests.
He has played only one of the first three Tests in the ongoing series in Australia, taking 1 for 53 in the day-night match in Adelaide. In the previous series, the 3-0 home defeat against New Zealand, Ashwin had picked up just nine wickets at an average of 41.22.
As he is not a regular in the XI in India’s overseas matches and their next Test series is an away tour of England, Ashwin will be 39 by the time India’s next home season begins. India will arrive.