 "Growing age and Washington Sundar's emergence must have pushed R Ashwin towards retirement. Image: Reuters")
Ravichandran Ashwin has been a great servant for Indian cricket and with 765 wickets in 287 international matches, he has spun the team to victory on multiple occasions, also winning the 2011 ODI World Cup. But it’s not just wickets or even runs that will be the lasting memory of Ashwin, it will also be his passion for the sport and a constant desire to improve . Hence, it came as a big surprise that Ashwin decided to retire midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy when the five-match series was still tied 1-1.
Ashwin could have been India’s match-winner at Melbourne or Sydney, but he has decided to go back home, as India captain Rohit Sharma confirmed in the post-match press conference on Wednesday after the Gabba Test ended in a draw.
Ashwin first thought about retirement from international cricket during the home Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, however, he soldiered on. A report in Indian Express has now claimed that Ashwin discussed retirement with his family even before leaving for Australia, however, no final decision was made. But on 17 December, he informed his family about his decision to retire from international cricket and made it official on 18 December (Tuesday).
Why Ashwin retired in the middle of Border-Gavaskar series?
So what prompted Ashwin to retire from international cricket?
A BCCI source has told news agency PTI that there was no “nudge” from the selectors and the retirement decision is Ashwin’s own call. “There was no nudge from the selection committee. Ashwin is a legend in Indian cricket and he has the right to take his own call,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
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Captain Rohit’s post-match comments, however, give a good idea of why Ashwin decided to retire midway through the Border-Gavaskar series. Rohit in his candid way explained that Ashwin was not guaranteed a place in the playing XI, which could have prompted him to make a quick decision on retirement.
“Speaking about Ash, he was very very sure about this decision. I heard this when I came to Perth. Obviously, I was not there for the first three or four days of the Test match, but this was on his mind since then. There are obviously a lot of things that went behind it; I’m pretty sure, Ash, when he went in position, will be able to answer that,” Rohit said at the post-match press conference on Wednesday.
“He understands what the team is thinking. He understands what kind of combinations we are thinking of. When we came here as well, we were not sure about which spinner was going to play. We just wanted to assess and see what kind of conditions we get in front of us, But yeah, when I arrived in Perth, this was a chat we had, and I somehow convinced him to stay for that pink ball Test,” added Rohit.
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“It just happened so that if you know where he felt that, ‘if I’m not needed right now in the series, I’m better off. Saying goodbye to the game, but obviously, we’ve not been to Melbourne yet, so we don’t know what sort of conditions we expect there and what sort of combination, but just keeping Ash in particularly in mind, giving him that respect that this if this is what he thinks, we should allow him to think that way and we should all stand by,” Rohit added.
Sundar’s rise leads to Ashwin’s retirement
Ashwin has been India’s No.1 spinner for over a decade, always a fist-choice in home matches, and sometimes the second-choice in overseas Tests. But the emergence of Washington Sundar has pushed him down in the pecking order. Even at home, Ashwin was outshined by Sundar in the last two Tests, indicating things to come.
Against New Zealand in Pune and Mumbai, Sundar took 16 wickets while Ashwin only managed eight wickets in two Tests in helpful conditions as India lost the series 3-0. Ashwin was then overlooked for the opening Perth Test in Australia in favour of Sundar. He returned for the Adelaide Test but only took one wicket in one innings.
Ravindra Jadeja, who played in Brisbane ahead of Ashwin and Sundar, also failed to take a wicket but scored 77 , sealing his place for the next Test.
In such a scenario, even if India decided to include two spinners in Sydney, it would most likely be Jadeja and Sundar, due to their batting capabilities.
Considering India’s next Test match is in England in June 2025, it’s not difficult to understand that the 38-year-old Ashwin decided to hang his boots in international cricket. Especially when it looks like Sundar has gone ahead of him in the pecking order.