Following a well-fought draw with Australia in the Brisbane Test, the Indian squad breathed a seductive sigh of relief. However, there was a lot of surprise in the air when cricket legend Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement halfway through the series. During the post-match conference, Ashwin stood shoulder to shoulder with Indian team captain Rohit Sharma and remained silent, offering no explanation or commentary on his abrupt choice to hang up his cricketing gear.
When did Rohit learn about Ashwin’s retirement?
Rohit said he first learned about Ashwin’s retirement after he landed in Perth in the middle of the first Test. “Speaking about Ash, he was very very sure about this decision. I heard this when I came to Perth. Obviously, I was not there for the first three or four days of the Test match, but this was on his mind since then. There are obviously a lot of things that went behind it; I’m pretty sure, Ash, when he went in position, will be able to answer that,” Rohit told reporters.
“It just happened so that if you know where he felt that, ‘if I’m not needed right now in the series, I’m better off. Saying goodbye to the game, but obviously, we’ve not been to Melbourne yet, so we don’t know what sort of conditions we expect there and what sort of combination, but just keeping Ash in particularly in mind, giving him that respect that this if this is what he thinks, we should allow him to think that way and we should all stand by.”
Cricket fans all across the world were surprised by the unexpected announcement, but those who have been keeping an eye on Ashwin’s play were not surprised. In a media report, the circumstances that led to Ashwin’s retirement during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 were detailed. It emphasized how his choice was influenced by head coach Gautam Gambhir’s advice.
India suffered a crushing 0-3 defeat in the Test series against New Zealand, after which Ashwin raised many questions about his future prospects. R. Ashwin expressed doubt about going to Australia without a guarantee of his place in the main team. He sought clarity from the selectors on this matter for the upcoming tour. Hopefully, he has received some positive responses. India decided to include Washington Sundar as the additional third spinner for this tour, joining Ravindra Jadeja.
When Washington Sundar was selected for the Perth Test instead of Ashwin, Ashwin was first disappointed. Ashwin was influenced by this particular choice since he observed that Sundar’s playing style was very similar to his own. This made Ashwin contemplate his future in the series, raising questions about his further involvement.
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