At a time when Ashwin was at the peak of his career, he decided to retire from international cricket. This is a decision whose reason can perhaps only be explained by Ashwin himself. 537 wickets in Tests, 37 fifers, 11 Player of the Series awards, six Test centuries, 14 half-centuries... what is the record that Ashwin fell short of, but he decided to walk away from it. He was initially a batsman who later became a great spinner. He usually bowled off-spin, but his carrom ball created a stir in the world. However, his 'timing of retirement' is a mystery that no one has an answer to.
Family and friends were also surprised by this decision.
His family had seen this decision coming, but they were also surprised by its sudden announcement. They too could not understand why Ashwin did this in the middle of the series. His friends at Ramakrishnapuram First Street, whom Ashwin thanked when he announced his retirement, were also wondering what was going on. One of them reacted and said, "He has been very upset for some time now. Even when we tried to cheer him up, he was not responding. We knew retirement was coming, but not now."
Without captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir, the decision was a shock to everyone inside the team. Virat Kohli hugging him in the dressing room, which was shown repeatedly by broadcasters on their channel, it seemed that everyone else came to know about Ashwin's retirement only at the end of the Brisbane Test. Now the question arises, why? Especially when the series is at such a crucial juncture and India can play with two spinners in the next two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney, why did Ashwin decide to retire?
Ashwin's father had even booked flights to Melbourne and Sydney.
Many people were surprised by this decision, but Ashwin was considering retirement for a long time. According to the Indian Express report, Ashwin was considering this since the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy was held in India in 2023. He was troubled by his knee. It was after this that he first thought of retirement. People close to him say that he was in a dilemma even before leaving for Australia, but he wanted to give himself one last chance because, after the Australia tour, there is no Test series before June next year. So once he boarded the flight to Perth, his family and friends hoped that he would return only after finishing the series. Ashwin's father Ravichandran had even booked flight tickets for the Boxing Day Test and to watch the New Year's Sydney Test. On Tuesday night, Ashwin called his father and told him that December 18 would be his last day as an international cricketer.
Ashwin was troubled for quite some time.
However, apart from the knee problem, it seems that there are some incidents behind this decision, due to which Ashwin was unhappy. India's home Test season started with the Test series against Bangladesh. In this, he was the Player of the Series. Ashwin still had at least a few years left. However, Ashwin's performance in the series against New Zealand was not very special. Ashwin later also told on his YouTube channel that this series was a shock for him. It damaged his domestic record and he is trying to find answers to his performance in this series with his two daughters.
Was Ashwin unhappy with the decision of the team management?
It was believed that the Australia series was the only way for Ashwin to get back on track. When he agreed to the series, he was confident that he would make a comeback in this series. But once there, the team management indicated that even if they play two spinners, Ashwin may not get a chance to play. With the top order not scoring enough runs, India is leaning towards Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.
As Rohit revealed, he came to know about Ashwin's retirement when he reached Perth. However, the off-spinner decided to stay till the Pink Ball Test only after the captain persuaded him. Despite bowling well on a fast bowler-friendly pitch in Adelaide, Ashwin was benched in Brisbane. Ashwin had come to know that in such a situation there is no certainty of him getting a chance in Melbourne and Sydney. To some extent, it is believed that he was also unhappy with the decision of the team management. Before retiring, Ashwin told captain Rohit Sharma that if I am not needed in the series at this time, then it would be better for me to say goodbye to the game.
'I still have some punch left in me'
It has happened before as well when he was dropped from the white-ball team, he spent several days searching for answers. However, he has expressed happiness over his retirement. However, his Instagram post and caption seem to have triggered him to take this decision as well. The background song he chose for his goodbye message on Instagram perhaps expresses his mood. While announcing his retirement, Ashwin had said, 'I feel I have some punch left in me as a cricketer, but I want to show it in club level cricket, this is my last day at the international level.'
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