Aus vs Ind BGT 3rd Test – Ravichandran Ashwin announces his international retirement

“This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level,” Ashwin said at a press conference after the Brisbane Test. “I feel there is still a bit of batting power left in me as a cricketer but I would like to express that and probably show it in club level cricket but this will be the last day (for India).

“Of course there are a lot of people I have to thank but I wouldn’t be fulfilling my duties if I didn’t thank the BCCI and teammates. Several of them. I would like to name some of them. All the coaches involved in the trip, especially Rohit, Virat (Kohli), Ajinkya (Rahane) and (Cheteshwar) Pujara who took those great catches to tell me the number of wickets I took over the course of the years.

“A big thank you also goes to the Australian cricket team who were very strong competitors. I enjoyed playing against them.”

Ashwin said he would not answer questions from the media and was only there to make the news public, saying: “Really a very emotional moment. I don’t think I’m capable of answering the questions in the right way. Please forgive me for being the journalists who wrote good and sometimes bad things. This is a relationship we will maintain forever and I hope the cricketers to come in the future will also get the same amount of love.

And finally, he confirmed that he will remain associated with the game, and perhaps not just as a cricketer in the IPL (he is now part of the Chennai Super Kings) or the TNPL (Dindigul Dragons). “See you soon. As a cricketer, I just stopped doing that. Maybe I will continue to be committed to the game because it is a game that has given me everything.”

He was bought by CSK, his debut IPL team, for INR 9.75 crore in the mega auction last month and will play for them in IPL 2025.

Rohit, who was sitting next to Ashwin when he made his announcement to the press, said: “Some decisions are very personal and I don’t think too many questions should be asked or raised. When a player has made a choice, he has one. “Having that choice and someone like Ashwin, who has been there for us for so many years, is allowed to make such decisions on his own and we as teammates have to respect that. He was very sure about what he wanted to do, and the team fully supported his thought process.

“Just think about Ash and give him the respect that if he thinks that, we should allow him to think that way. And we should all stand by what he thinks at this point.”

Rohit Sharma on R. Ashwin’s resignation

“Obviously there’s a little gap now (between Tests) so it’s very, very important for us as a team at the moment to regroup and gather our thoughts about it. We have some time to think about what we need to do.” But when he talked about Ash, he was very, very sure of his decision.

“I heard (of the plan to retire) when I came to Perth. “Obviously I wasn’t there for the first three or four days of the first test match, but that’s been on his mind since then and there’s obviously a lot of things.” I’m pretty sure Ash will be able to answer that but he understands what the team thinks, he understands what combinations we think and when we came here we weren’t sure either. We just wanted to know which spinner will play to assess and see what conditions await us come.

“But when I got to Perth we had a conversation and I somehow convinced him to stay for the pink-ball Test match and then it just so happened that he felt I wasn’t needed now in the series It’s better if I say goodbye to the game.

“But obviously we haven’t been to Melbourne yet, so we don’t know what conditions to expect there and what combination. But I’m thinking especially of Ash and giving him the respect that if he thinks that, we should allow him to think that way. And we should all stand by what he thinks at this point.

“That’s what I’m thinking right now and that’s the kind of conversation we’ve been having too – me and Gautam Gambhir too. It’s important when a player like him has had so many moments with the Indian team and he’s really been a big match-winner for us and he’s allowed to make those decisions himself and if that’s the case now, then so be it be.”

Ashwin ends his Test career as India’s second highest wicket-taker in the format with 537 wickets at an average of 24 in 106 Tests, behind only Anil Kumble who finished with 619 wickets from 132 Tests.

He played just one of the first three Tests of the ongoing series in Australia, taking 1 for 53 in the day-night match in Adelaide. In the previous series, the 3-0 home loss to New Zealand, Ashwin had just nine wickets at an average of 41.22 collected.

Since he is not a regular in India’s overseas games and the next Test series is an away tour of England, Ashwin will be 39 by the time of India’s next home season.