5 former cricketers who have expressed surprise over Ravichandran Ashwin's international retirement ft. Kapil Dev
Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket following the conclusion of the third Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Wednesday, December 18.
The 38-year-old joined captain Rohit Sharma at the post-match conference, where he officially declared his retirement. He said via the ICC:
“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 there, but I would like to expose and probably showcase that in club-level cricket. But this will be the last day and I got a lot of fun. I must say, I created a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my other teammates, even though I lost some of them over the last few years. We are the last bunch OGs, if we can say that, left out in the dressing room.”
"And I'd be marking this as my date of having played at this level. Obviously, there are a lot of people to thank, but I would be failing my duties if I did not thank BCCI and my teammates. All of the coaches who have been part of the journey. Most importantly, Rohit, Virat, Ajinkya, Pujara - who took those splendid catches around the back to give me the number of wickets I have managed to get over the years,” Ashwin added.
The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer enjoyed a remarkable career, claiming 765 wickets in 287 matches across all formats, second only to Anil Kumble, who took 953 wickets.
However, his retirement came as a surprise to many, as he announced in the middle of the series, with two games remaining in Melbourne and Sydney.
Several former cricketers expressed their shock, and here we take a look at five who were particularly taken aback by Ravichandran Ashwin's decision to retire from international cricket.
#1 Subramaniam Badrinath
Former Indian and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player Subramaniam Badrinath expressed his surprise at R Ashwin's retirement. He stated that Ashwin had not been treated fairly, mentioning that he had contemplated leaving when Washington Sundar was preferred over him.
Speaking on Star Sports, he stated:
"I am shocked. I think, to be honest, he wasn't treated fairly. Rohit Sharma said he wanted to leave after the Perth Test match. He wanted to leave when Washington Sundar was played ahead of him. That tells you he was not happy. Honestly, I am saying something - it's a big thing for a cricketer from Tamil Nadu. There are many reasons for that. Players from a few other states get better chances."
"Despite all these odds, Ashwin went on to take more than 500 wickets and became a legend. Imagine what he must have gone through. I know he has faced quite a few things. On many occasions, efforts were made to sideline him. But every time, he has bounced back like a phoenix bird,” he added.
Washington was selected ahead of Ashwin in the first match of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, the veteran spinner featured in the second match before being replaced by Ravindra Jadeja in the third.
#2 Michael Clarke
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke expressed astonishment at R Ashwin's decision to announce his retirement mid-series. He remarked that even if Ashwin wasn’t going to play the last two matches of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he could have waited until returning to India.
Speaking on ESPN's ‘Around the Wicket’ podcast, Clarke stated:
"Ravichandran Ashwin has been a fantastic player across all formats, so tough to face, especially in Indian conditions; very skillful, very accurate, very good lines. He deserves to be respected and deserves his congratulations on a wonderful career. I'm surprised he’s done it now, even if he wasn’t gonna play the next two Tests, I thought maybe he could’ve waited, go back home, in front of Indian media… who knows?"
"He has his reasons, I guess I’ve experienced that before in the Ashes. Ryan Harris, because of an injury, retired before the series was over. I’ve been through that. But yeah, I guess he has had the conversations with captain and coach, they probably told him he’s not going to play the next two Tests, so he decided to make that decision," Clarke added.
#3 Kapil Dev
Former Indian World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev also expressed surprise at the way R Ashwin chose to retire. Dev noted that Ashwin appeared unhappy and suggested that he could have waited to announce his retirement on Indian soil.
Kapil Dev said as quoted by PTI:
"I was shocked by how one of India’s greatest cricketers chose to leave the game. The disappointment among the fans was widespread, but I also saw a tinge of hurt on his face. He looked unhappy, and that was sad. He deserved much better, a fitting farewell."
"He could have waited and announced his retirement on Indian soil, but I don’t know why Ashwin called it a day. I would want to hear his side of the story. Give him that respect. He has played 106 Tests for the country. I don’t think anyone can match his humongous contribution to Indian cricket,” Dev added.
#4 Harbhajan Singh
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh also expressed his views, noting that R Ashwin's decision to retire mid-series was beyond his comprehension.
In a discussion on Star Sports, Harbhajan shared his views:
"It was slightly shocking for me when I heard that because retiring when the series is ongoing is beyond my understanding. He might have got a chance to play in Melbourne and Sydney, and he recently played in Adelaide as well. So I don't know what the hurry was and what would have been the thought process behind this retirement,” he said.
"If this is his decision, I would only like to tell him that he has had a fantastic career, taken a lot of wickets, and won many matches and series for the country. He has taken India's spin legacy forward. Another great career has come to an end today and I wish him well for whatever he does going forward,” he continued.
#5 Ricky Ponting
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said he was taken aback upon hearing about R Ashwin’s retirement. Ponting added that Ashwin will be remembered as one of the greatest spinners of all time.
Speaking to the ICC, Ponting stated:
"Well, I must admit I'm really surprised to hear that Ravi Ashwin has retired. I mean he's been such a fantastic stalwart of Indian cricket. His record at home is outstanding. His record away from home is equally as good.”
"He's going to go down as one of the all-time great spin bowlers, one of the all-time great Indian cricketers. I had the pleasure of playing quite a bit against him and I had the pleasure of coaching him at the Delhi Capitals. He's got one of the sharpest cricket brains that you would ever come across,” he continued.
Meanwhile, the second game of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Adelaide Oval, where Ashwin took one wicket and scored 29 runs with the bat across two innings, turned out to be his final appearance for India.