Ravichandran Ashwin surprised everyone by announcing his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, even though there were still two more Tests left in the India vs Australia Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Of the three Tests played so far, Ashwin, with 106 Test appearances to his name, only played in Adelaide as the sole spinner. For the first Test in Perth, Washington Sundar was chosen as the lone spinner, while Ravindra Jadeja took on the role for the third Test in Brisbane. Ashwin’s sudden retirement announcement has sparked speculation about when he decided to end his international career.
The confusion only deepened as multiple conflicting accounts about Ashwin’s decision emerged.
Virat Kohli, a long-time teammate of Ashwin, shared an emotional post on X, revealing that he learned of Ashwin’s decision to retire on Wednesday. “I’ve played with you for 14 years, and when you told me today you’re retiring, it made me a bit emotional, and flashbacks of all those years playing together came to me,” Kohli wrote. This post followed a viral video showing Kohli hugging Ashwin, likely after hearing the retirement news, highlighting the close bond they share.
While Kohli expressed that he only learned of Ashwin’s retirement on Wednesday, he did not clarify whether he had any prior indication that Ashwin was contemplating retirement at the start of the series.
At a press conference following Ashwin’s announcement, India’s captain Rohit Sharma was asked when he had first learned about Ashwin’s retirement plans. Rohit responded, “I heard about it when I came to Perth (the venue for the first Test in late November, where Ashwin wasn’t picked). I wasn’t there for the first few days of the match, but Ashwin had this on his mind from then.”
Rohit further explained, “There were a lot of factors involved. I’m sure Ashwin, when he’s ready, will provide more details. He understands the team’s thinking and the kind of combinations we were considering. When we arrived here, we weren’t certain which spinner would play. We wanted to assess the conditions first. I had a conversation with Ashwin when I got to Perth and somehow convinced him to stay for the pink-ball Test. But eventually, he felt that if he wasn’t needed in the series, it might be better to say goodbye.”
Adding to the confusion, a PTI report mentioned that Ashwin had been contemplating retirement after the India vs New Zealand Test series in early November. An Indian Express article suggested that Ashwin had informed his family about his retirement thoughts even before flying to Australia.
With so many differing accounts, only Ravichandran Ashwin can provide clarity on when he truly made the decision to retire.
