Hyderabad: Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin opened up on why he took retirement from all forms of international cricket and his stance against farewell matches, expressing that he had no desire to remain in the game solely for a ceremonial send-off.
However, Ashwin admitted that he believed there was more cricket left in him. Notably, Ashwin's retirement came midway through the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 which left both fans and pundits in shock. Ashwin officially declared his retirement after the third Test in Brisbane and chose not to stay with the team for the remainder of the series as he returned to his home country on the very next day.
Several former cricketers, including the legendary Kapil Dev, opined that Ashwin deserved a farewell Test. However, the off-spinner maintained that he had no regrets about his career.
"I want to play more cricket. Where is the place? Obviously not in the Indian dressing room, but somewhere else. I want to be honest with the game. Imagine if I wanted to play a farewell Test but didn’t deserve a place. Imagine I was only selected because it was my farewell Test. I don’t want that. I felt there was still strength in my cricket and that I could have played a bit more. But it’s always better to leave when people ask ‘why’ rather than ‘why not’," Ashwin shared on his YouTube show.
Ashwin ended his ODI career as India's second-highest wicket-taker (537 scalps) in Test cricket. Despite this, he was not selected for the series opener in Perth, with India opting for Washington Sundar. Ashwin played the second Test in Adelaide but was dropped for the third in Brisbane, where Ravindra Jadeja was chosen instead.
"I’ve played cricket for many years and learned one thing: not everything goes the way you want it to. We often think, ‘this could have been better’ or ‘that should have happened.’ But I have no regrets about my career. I’ve taken lessons from both my failures and successes. I’ve always played for the joy the game brings me, and I will continue to do so as long as that joy remains," Ashwin said.
“What difference does it make if I come out with the ball and people applaud? How long will that applause last? In the pre-social media era, people would talk about it and forget within a week. There’s no need for a farewell. The game has given us so much joy, and we have played with happiness," he added.
Ashwin will continue competing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), having been bought by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for 9.75 crore. The Tamil Nadu off-spinner returns to CSK after last representing the team in yellow in 2015.
