After Wednesday’s (December 18) draw in the third Test match against Australia in Brisbane, Ravichandran Ashwin declared his intention to retire from all forms of cricket with immediate effect. The 38-year-old was ranked third for all-rounders and fifth for bowlers in the ICC Test rankings at the time of retirement.
Ashwin ended a 14-year career in which he played 106 Test matches, the latest of which being the day-night match in Adelaide earlier in the present Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He is the second-highest wicket-taker for India in Test cricket, behind Anil Kumble. With a total score of 537, Ashwin is eighth on the list of all-time Test wicket-takers and is the fastest bowler to 250, 300, and 350 Test scalps.
“This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level,” he declared during a news conference held following the Brisbane Test, when he was accompanied by Rohit Sharma.”As a cricket player, I do think I have some punch left in me, but I would like to show that off in cricket clubs, but today will be the last day. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
“I have to admit that I made a lot of memories with Rohit and a few of my teammates. We are the final group of originals, if you can call them that, excluded from the dressing room, despite the fact that I lost a few of them in the past several years. I’m going to mark this as the day I played at this level.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s Journey
“There are many people to thank, of course, but if I didn’t thank the BCCI and my teammates, I would be failing in my obligations. I’d like to mention some of them. Every coach who has participated in the voyage.
“The people who have taken those catches around the back to give me the number of wickets I have able to get over the years are Rohit, Virat [Kohli], Ajinkya [Rahane], and [Cheteshwar] Pujara. A special thanks goes out to the Australian cricket team as well, who have been quite competitive. Playing against them has been fun,” he continued.
With 37 five-wicket hauls in Test matches, including one on his debut, Ashwin is tied for second place with Shane Warne and only trailed by Muttiah Muralitharan’s 67. Ashwin set a record of 268 left-handers dismissed in Test cricket at the time of his retirement. He has amassed 3503 runs in Test cricket, including six hundreds and 14 fifties, and is a useful batsman down in the order. He is only surpassed by Ian Botham (5) in the Indian record for the most times a century and a fifer have occurred in the same Test, with four.
Ashiwn is one of just three Test all-rounders in history to end with more than 3000 Test runs and 500 wickets. He made his debut for India in the longest format against the West Indies in 2011. He shared the record of 11 Man of the Series victories with Muralitharan, and India emerged victorious each time.
Ashwin’s Awards and Recognitions
Ashwin received the Indian government’s coveted Arjuna Award in 2015. After a stellar 2015–16 season, he was named the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and the Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year in 2016. He was also included in the 2011–20 ICC Test Team.
With 537 wickets at an average of 24 in 106 Tests, Ashwin finishes his Test career as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in the format, trailing only Anil Kumble, who finished with 619 wickets from 132 Tests.
He took 1 for 53 in the day-night match in Adelaide, but he only participated in one of the first three Test matches of the current series in Australia. Ashwin had taken just nine wickets at an average of 41.22 in the last series, which ended in a 3-0 loss to New Zealand at home.
Hwill be 39 by the time India’s next home season rolls around because he isn’t a regular in the starting lineup for their away Test series against England.
Ashwin was one of 11 all-rounders with more than 3000 runs and 300 wickets, having amassed 3503 Test runs with six hundreds and 14 fifties in addition to his wickets. He also tied Muthiah Muralidaran with a record 11 Player-of-the-Series honors.
Ashwin, a member of the Indian team that won the 2013 Champions Trophy and the 2011 ODI World Cup, played 116 one-day matches for his country, taking 156 wickets at an average of 33.20 and an economy of 4.93. In the format, he also scored 707 runs. In addition, he took 72 wickets in the shortest format and received 65 caps in T20Is.
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Shubhangi Gupta is a distinguished content writer and the visionary founder of The Unpleasant – Acha Nahi Sabse Sacha. With a Master’s degree in Commerce from University of Lucknow, Shubhangi has seamlessly blended her academic background with her passion for reading and writing, embarking on a successful career as a content writer since 2019.
