Ashwin Retires India's Second-Highest Test Wicket-Taker Steps Away With 537 Scalps
Ashwin Retires: Ravichandran Ashwin, one of India’s best cricketers, has declared his immediate retirement from international cricket. The announcement came at the end of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Brisbane. Ashwin, who has been part of the Indian team for more than a decade, will be returning to India on Thursday to bring an end to his glittering international career.
“This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level,” Ashwin revealed at a press conference after the Brisbane Test. Although he admitted that he had “a little bit of punch left” in him as a cricketer, Ashwin said that he wanted to display his cricketing skills at the club level.
Reflecting on his journey, Ashwin said, “I’ve had a lot of fun. I have made a lot of memories alongside Rohit [Sharma] and several of my team-mates, even though we’ve lost some of them [to retirements] over the last few years. We’re the last bunch of OGs, we can say that. I will be marking this as my date of having played at this level.”
Over the course of his career, Ashwin became India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. With 537 wickets at an impressive average of 24 in 106 Test matches, he stands just behind the legendary Anil Kumble, who claimed 619 wickets in 132 Tests. Ashwin’s contributions were not just limited to wickets, as his vital spells have often turned the tide in matches, making him one of the most influential players in Indian cricket history.
Though Ashwin was not often a regular member of the playing XI for India in overseas fixtures, his contribution to the game is unspoken. During the home series against New Zealand, which India won 3-0, he took nine wickets, and his international chances decreased as more players got into the game. Ashwin, who turns 39 at the time of India playing its next home series is another one, whose retirements mark the end of an era in Indian test cricket.
As of his retirement, Ashwin stands at the seventh position on the all-time list of Test wicket-takers. Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan tops the list with an astonishing 800 wickets. Ashwin’s place at seventh, with 537 wickets, makes him one of the game’s greats and further cements his legacy in cricket history.
In his emotional farewell, Ashwin took a moment to thank the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), his fellow teammates, and coaches who played a crucial role in his journey. “I would like to name a few of them, some of the coaches who have been part of the journey. Most importantly, Rohit, Virat [Kohli], Ajinkya [Rahane], and [Cheteshwar] Pujara, who have taken some of the catches around the bat and given me the number of wickets I’ve managed to get over the years,” he said.
While Ashwin’s international cricket comes to an end, passion for the game will certainly remain. Reportedly, he will switch to club-level cricketing. His retirement marks an era, but his legacy shall survive through his innumerable contributions to Indian cricket.
In an emotional message after Ashwin's retirement announcement, Kohli reflected on the last 14 years…
A tragic plane crash occurred on Monday near Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu,…
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has travelled to India's friendly neighbour Bhutan to take the…
R Ashwin's retirement leaves a huge void in Indian cricket. As the second-highest Test wicket-taker…
Farmers in Punjab staged a three-hour 'Rail Roko' protest, demanding a legally guaranteed Minimum Support…
R Ashwin retired mid-series abruptly in Australia. India's second-most prolific wicket-taker in Test cricket stunned…