R Ashwin will not remain in the team after retirement, Rohit Sharma reveals his next course of action

Ravichandran Ashwin’s abrupt decision to retire midway through the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy will mean that the legendary off-spinner will fly back to India straight after the third Test and will not travel further with the team. India captain Rohit Sharma confirmed to the media that Ashwin will not be traveling with the team to Melbourne. Instead, Ashwin will fly home on Thursday, a day after the conclusion of the third Test. Ashwin also hinted at future cricket plans.

After Ashwin announced his retirement but left the team without answering questions from the media in the post-match press conference, Rohit revealed that Ashwin will not remain with the team for the Melbourne or Sydney Tests.

Instead, Ashwin will return to India on Thursday, December 19.

Despite retiring from international career, Ashwin has not closed the book on his cricketing career.

“I believe I still have some batting power in me as a cricketer but I want to prove that in cricket at club level,” Ashwin said in the post-match press conference.

“See you soon. As a cricketer, I have just stopped but may continue to be committed to the game because it is a game that has given me everything,” said Ashwin.

Ashwin’s next stop as a cricketer could be to take part in more domestic tournaments like the Ranji Trophy with his state team Tamil Nadu. He is also expected to wear the yellow color of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

Ashwin retires as India’s second-highest wicket-taker of all time across all formats with 765, behind only Anil Kumble. He played his last game in the second pink-ball Test against Australia in Adelaide, which India lost by 10 wickets. Ashwin ended the game with one wicket, and Mitchell Marsh ended up being his last international scalp.