The legendary Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has bid farewell to all forms of international cricket. Ashwin dropped a bombshell in a press conference following the third BGT 2024-25 test against Australia in Gabba along with captain Rohit Sharma.
Ashwin retires at the time when he is positioned fifth and third on the ICC Test rankings for bowlers and allrounders, respectively. In 106 tests, he scalped 537 wickets, with 37 five-wicket hauls and best match figures of 13/140. He is seventh on the overall list and is behind Anil Kumble (619) among Indians.
After the rain stopped play in Brisbane on Wednesday morning, the TV telecast saw Ashwin having a heartfelt interaction with Kohli. The 38-year-old was visibly emotional during his chat with the star maestro and also hugged him at the end. Since then, there had been speculation on the ace spinner retiring from the sport.
At the post-match conference, Ravichandran Ashwin was quite emotional during his international retirement speech. He revealed that there’s still a bit of cricket left in him, which he will showcase in club cricket. Notably, he is set to play for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025.
“This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level. I do feel there is a bit of punch left in me as a cricketer, but I would like to expose that probably… showcase that in clubs that are in cricket, but this will be the last day. I had a lot of fun,” he said.
“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 of OGs, if you can say that, left out of the dressing room. I would be marking this as my date of having played at this level,” he added.
Ravichandran Ashwin thanks senior Indian players
Ravichandran Ashwin thanked the BCCI officials, teammates and coaches throughout his career to help him stay at the top of his game for a number of years.
In particular, he mentioned the names of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane for holding on to the catches at the slips, which helped him rise to the second spot among Indian bowlers with the most test wickets. He also lauded the Australian team for being “fierce competitors”.
“Most importantly, Rohit, Virat [Kohli], Ajinkya [Rahane], [Cheteshwar] Pujara, who have taken those catches around the back to give me the number of wickets I have managed to get over the years. Also, a big thank you to the Australian cricket team, who have been very fierce competitors. I have enjoyed my time playing against them,” he said.
FAQs
How many wickets did Ravichandran Ashwin take in Australia?
40 wickets in 11 games
What is the wicket tally of Ravichandran Ashwin in ODIs?
156 wickets in 116 games
