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Months after his shocking move, Ravichandran Ashwin opened up about why he drew curtains on his international career
Ashwin delivering a speech after announcing retirement from international cricket
The past 8 months saw the stalwarts of Indian cricket stepping away from the international circuit, leading to a transition. The chain of events began in Australia last year when Ravichandran Ashwin called it time in Brisbane, after India drew the third Test at The Gabba. He accompanied the then-captain Rohit Sharma to the press conference and told the media about his decision to retire from international cricket.
Months after his shocking move, Ashwin opened up about why he drew curtains on his international career. Speaking to former India head coach Rahul Dravid on his YouTube show, Ashwin said having to sit out of Test matches on away tours eventually prompted him to make this decision.
“I was pretty old, I must admit. But going on tours, and having to just sit out (a) lot more, eventually got to me,” Ashwin told Dravid in a chat on his YouTube channel.
“I mean, not in terms of not wanting to contribute to the team, but you’re thinking if I would rather be at home, spending time with children. They are also growing up, and what am I actually doing? So, I just felt like okay… In my head, I always decided that I would retire at 34-35. But just the fact that I could not play a lot in between,” he added.
Ashwin is only the second Indian bowler to have taken over 500 Test wickets after Anil Kumble. He made his Test debut in November 2011, took 383 wickets in India in 65 Tests and in 40 away matches, he grabbed another 150 wickets. He took four wickets in the only neutral Test — the 2019-21 World Test Championship final against New Zealand in UK.
Last year in December, he retired from international cricket with immediate effect but confirmed that he would be staying connected to the game, and possibly not just as a cricketer in the IPL and the TNPL.
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had …Read More
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had … Read More
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