 "Ravichandran Ashwin retires from international cricket after having played 106 Tests, 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is for India. PTI")
Veteran India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, following the conclusion of the third Test between Australia and India in Brisbane that ended in a draw.
A viral video of Ashwin hugging senior batter Virat Kohli during a rain break of the just-concluded Brisbane Test against Australia already had the rumours mill working overtime and the 38-year-old to made the big announcement official after the match.
Ravichandran Ashwin retires from all forms of international cricket
“This will be my last day as an Indian cricket in all formats of the game at the international level. I do feel there is a bit of punch left in me in a cricketer. I would like to showcase that in club-level cricket. So this will be my last day. I have had a lot of fun. I must say I’ve created a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my teammates,” Ashwin said while addressing the post-match press conference with India skipper Rohit Sharma.
“Obviously, there are a lot of people to thank. But, I would be failing in my duty if I didn’t thank the BCCI and the rest of my teammates. I want to name a few of them and all the coaches – Rohit, Virat, Ajinkya and Pujara who have taken all those catches in the slips to help me get those wickets,” added the Tamil Nadu cricketer.
Ashwin termed Australia as “fierce competitors” and said that he enjoyed playing against them. “Also a big thank you to the Australian cricket team. They have been very fierce competitors. I have enjoyed playing alongside them. “Also a big thank you to the Australian cricket team. They have been very fierce competitors. I have enjoyed playing alongside them,” he concluded.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsR Ashwin wickets in Tests, ODIs and T20Is
R Ashwin ends his 14-year international career, having played 106 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 65 T20Is for India. He finishes with 4,394 runs and 765 wickets across the three formats. In Tests alone, Ashwin took 537 wickets, including 37 five-wicket hauls and eight 10-wicket hauls, and scored 3503 runs.
In 116 ODIs, Ashwin scored 707 runs and took 156 wickets including one four-wicket haul (4/25). In 65 T20Is, he scored 184 runs and took 72 wickets (two four-wicket hauls).
He was part of the Indian team that won the 2011 ODI World Cup as well as the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. Ashwin has also won the Asia Cup twice with India, in 2010 and 2016.
Ravichandran Ashwin Test century list
Ravichandran Ashwin slammed six centuries in Tests, the only international format in which he scored a hundred. Ashwin’s last Test century came against Bangladesh in what eventually turned out to be his final Test at his home ground Chepauk in September this year .
| Century No. | Year | Score | Opposition | Venue | Match Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011 | 103 | West Indies | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | Drawn |
| 2 | 2013 | 124 | West Indies | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | Won |
| 3 | 2016 | 118 | West Indies | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Won |
| 4 | 2016 | 113 | West Indies | Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium, Saint Lucia | Won |
| 5 | 2021 | 106 | England | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | Won |
| 6 | 2024 | 113 | Bangladesh | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | Won |
Ravichandran Ashwin jersey number
R Ashwin donned jersey number 99 in international cricket. “My roll number in school was nine. I did not have great experiences in school, I used to be off the class all the time, I used to play cricket. And the teachers used to make fun during roll calls, wondering whether I was even in school, as a little banter,” Ashwin told Rajasthan Royals earlier this year, explaining why he chose jersey number 99.
“After that, I moved on to college where my roll number was 14. I had even worse experiences there. I just hated it, the moment the roll number came, they attributed that to me and it was a point of fun for somebody else.
“When I went to Chennai Super Kings the first year, I just said give me anything but No. 14. I landed up and they had 14 printed on my jersey, probably due to an oversight. I did not want 14 since it created too much trauma in my head.
“I wanted 9. But Parthiv Patel had 9 so I said give me 99 – two nines, I did not know if Sourav Ganguly had it (in international cricket), nothing of that sort,” he added.
BGT series level 1-1 after three Tests
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy series is level 1-1 after three Tests. India won the first Test in Perth by 295 runs, whereas Australia won the second Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets. India had been set a target of 275 on Day five in Brisbane, but, like the last few days, rain played spoilsport on Wednesday as well. India were 8/0 in their run chase when the match was abandoned.