Virat Kohli hugged an emotional Ravichandran Ashwin during the rain break on the last day of the third Test between India and Australia. In no time, social media started buzzing with questions. “Is Ashwin retiring?" “It can’t be! How can he retire so soon?"
No one believed it. Ashwin is 38, but he was doing quite well. He was taking wickets, scoring runs and always sweating it out on the field. With 537 Test wickets to his name, everyone thought he would at least cross the 600-wicket mark before calling it a day.
But he is Ashwin. Has he ever done anything predictable? Leaving everyone awestruck, the offspinner announced his retirement from international cricket soon after the Test.
“This is my last day as international cricketer. I have created a lot of memories. We are the last bunch of OGs in the dressing room. Lot of people to thank, BCCI, my fellow teammates, all the coaches," Ashwin said while announcing his retirement in the press conference.
Born in Chennai (then Madras), Ashwin started playing cricket at a young age. He did not need to go elsewhere for inspiration since his father was a club-level cricketer. Ashwin was initially a batter and bowled medium pace. He even played as an opener for India"s U-17 team. But soon, he realised, there was a spinner inside him, thanks to advice from a coach.
Ashwin’s was not a story of rags to riches, nor had he fought family for playing cricket. So, when he debuted for India back in 2010, there was not much uproar. He had done well in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and earned himself a reputation as a spinner with a lot of variations. But no one really thought of him as much of a Test cricketer.
India bowler Ravi Ashwin celebrates after taking the wicket of England batsman Ben Duckett during day three of the 2nd Test Match between India and England at ACA-VDCA Stadium on February 04, 2024 in Visakhapatnam, India.
Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images
India bowler Ravi Ashwin is congratulated by team mates after taking the wicket of Zak Crawley to reach his 500th Test Wicket during day two of the 3rd Test Match between India and England at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on February 16, 2024 in Rajkot, India.
Image: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
“For far too long Ashwin has suffered not for his bowling ability of which only the churlish will have doubts, but for his forthrightness and speaking his mind at meetings where most others just nod even if they don"t agree," Gavaskar wrote in a column for Sportstar in 2020. “Any other country would welcome a bowler who has more than 350 Test wickets and not to forget four Test match centuries, too. However, if Ashwin doesn"t take heaps of wickets in one game, he is invariably sidelined for the next one,"
However, Ashwin always found a way to make a comeback. He enchased almost every opportunity, ending up with a glorious cricketer. His retirement on Wednesday left a lot of fans as well as cricketers emotional.
“I’ve played with you for 14 years and when you told me today you’re retiring, it made me a bit emotional and the flashbacks of all those years playing together came to me. I’ve enjoyed every bit of the journey with you ash, your skill and match winning contributions to Indian cricket are second to none and you will always and always be remembered as a legend of Indian cricket," former Indian captain Virat Kohli said.
Dinesh Karthik, former Indian wicket-keeper batter, termed Ashwin the greatest cricketer from Tamil Nadu.
“a GOAT retires. Well done on what"s been an outstanding career. Proud to have played with you and definitely the greatest ever to have played from TAMILNADU," Karthik tweeted.
Endless other congratulatory messages are being shared on Ashwin’s retirement but this won’t be the end of him. Ashwin will continue to play in the IPL and other domestic tournaments. The time is not far when we will see him in a different role as well.
"I do feel there is bit of punch left in me as a cricketer but I would like to showcase that in club level cricket. I have had a lot of fun. I must say I have created a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my other teammates," he said in his retirement speech.
First Published: Dec 18, 2024, 16:47
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