Ravichandran Ashwin has reacted to rumors that head coach Gautam Gambhir forced him to suddenly retire from international cricket. The spinner announced his retirement during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, returning to India after the third Test was drawn at the Gabba with the series tied at 1-1.
The unexpected decision raised eyebrows among cricket experts, as the great bowler retired with still two matches remaining in the series. It is noteworthy that in the first test, Washington Sundar was given preference over Ashwin in the playing eleven. Ashwin was recalled for the second Test but was dropped again for the third Test.
Should I move forward or should Virat move forward or should Rohit move forward – Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin said that he has no complaint against Gautam Gambhir. He said that if Gambhir feels it is time for senior players including him, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to move on from the setup, he understands the management’s point of view.
“If anyone has to be angry against Gautam, it’s me, okay? I come on my second tour or third tour when he has been the coach. Coach Gautam has to work for me in many ways, and if he thought I should move on or Virat should move on or Rohit should move on, that’s fine; it’s fine because he has to work, and on that particular occasion, if I felt bitter about it then that’s also fine because that’s my feeling, But if you separate yourself from him, it is clear to me that he has a job to do and I may have no future under his ruleAshwin said during the RevSports Conclave.
He said, “But I have always wanted to give up ego first in my life and I am still in the process of giving up ego. We are all human beings. It comes to us. But if you separate yourself, things start making sense. Sometimes because of the praise we get in this country, we think that we are invincible, which is not true.”
I am not one of those people who will hang around – Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin said that when the management constantly rotated him with Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, they realized that he no longer fit into their long-term plans.
“I think my strongest asset is my ability to take decisions. Whether it’s right or wrong is for people to debate. But at the end of the day, this is my life. I need to do it on my own terms. That moment, I think, in Perth, when we had Jaddu and I as the main spinners in the team, and Washi played that game in Perth, and then the next game, again, I came in, and then I had to make my way again, kind of. Was it thought-provoking or is it a sign to me that my time is up.”
He added, “And if someone else has to come and take that spot, then by all means, they need their space and time. And I’m not one of those guys that’s going to hang around, you know, I want to see if I can make a comeback. I’ve had too many. I’ve come too far in my life to, you know, not be able to delay all that stuff.”
Ravichandran Ashwin’s brilliant career numbers across all formats
Ravichandran Ashwin took 765 wickets in 287 international matches. He took 537 wickets in 106 Test matches, including 37 five-wicket hauls, which is the joint second highest record in this format. The cricketer also scored 3,503 runs including six centuries. He remains the fastest bowler to reach 350 Test wickets.
The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer took 156 wickets in 116 ODIs and 72 wickets in 65 T20Is. After making his white-ball debut against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in 2010, he played his first Test against West Indies in 2011, taking nine wickets including a six-wicket haul.
Ashwin retired as the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Test history. He won 11 Player of the Series awards and was part of India’s title-winning campaigns at the 2011 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
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