Ravichandran Ashwin opens up on retirement decision: Why he chose to leave…

New Delhi: Ravichandran Ashwin shocked the cricket world with his announcement of retirement from international cricket following the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The Indian legend was left out of the playing XI for the Perth Test, signaling his decision to retire after the match. India captain Rohit Sharma later revealed that Ashwin had to be persuaded to feature in the second Test in Adelaide.

The star all-rounder was once again left out of the playing XI for the third Test, after which Ashwin announced his retirement and returned home a day following the match’s conclusion. As one of India’s biggest match-winners, Ashwin could have easily been given a farewell game, but he has always shied away from celebrations or attention directed at him.

Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast with Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain, Ashwin dropped a bombshell, explaining why he chose to retire without any fanfare.

“I always wanted to leave things behind as nonchalantly as I could because I do not believe in people celebrating me. I don’t believe in the attention we get sometimes in India. It is the game that always stood ahead of me,” Ashwin said.

The veteran player also revealed that he had contemplated retirement multiple times. “I did contemplate (retirement) a few times. For me, the day I woke up and felt the creative side of me didn’t have a future or direction, that would be the day I would give it up. I suddenly felt that the creative side didn’t have a lot of upsides to explore,” he added.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who made his India debut in 2010, quickly became one of the most successful bowlers in Indian cricket. He was part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad and played a pivotal role in the 2013 Champions Trophy final, bowling the last over to seal India’s victory against England. Ashwin was also a member of the MS Dhoni-led team that reached the 2014 T20 World Cup final.

Although he couldn’t win a T20 World Cup or theb Trophy, Ashwin concluded his career with remarkable statistics. He finished with 3503 runs and 537 wickets in 106 Tests, 156 wickets in 116 ODIs, and 72 wickets in 65 T20Is. Despite retiring from international cricket, Ashwin is set to make his on-field return for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025, continuing his legacy in the shortest format of the game.