When Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket, it came as a thunderclap on a rain-affected Test match in Brisbane. But there was one surprising omission in the farewell speech given by Ashwin – that was his long-time associate MS Dhoni.
Despite their deep relation, the name of one such legendary former captain gone interestingly missing from Ashwin’s list for thankyous. It triggered the speculations regarding reasons behind the omission even amongst fans and analysts.
Emotional Good Bye
Ashwin said while giving a heart-wrenching speech in the post-match media conference that his international career was over. “This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level,” Ashwin said. The 37-year-old added that while he felt he still had some cricket left in him, he would likely showcase his skills in club cricket moving forward. His announcement came as a surprise to many, given his continued form, and it left his fans reminiscing about his illustrious career.
Ashwin thanks all his team members, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane, to name a few, and thanks the BCCI, as well as the coaches who had guided him through thick and thin over the years. Ashwin’s speech was dripping with emotions, recalling one memory after another of cherished moments from his journey.
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“I must say, I made a lot of memories along with Rohit and quite a few of my other teammates. We are the last bunch of OGs, if we can say that, left out in the dressing room,” Ashwin added. He laid emphasis on his teammates, mentioning specifically the crucial catches taken by Pujara and Rahane that have contributed to his wicket tally over the years.
Why Was MS Dhoni Left Out?
Despite the amicable relations between Ashwin and Dhoni, the former hardly said anything about his great captain and mentor in the retirement speech. The lack of any mention of the name of Dhoni had raised the eyebrows of cricket fans because they were sure that such a legendary wicketkeeper-batsman had to be mentioned, especially during their combined history with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
It looks, however, as though it was merely an oversight. Ashwin and Dhoni share an excellent bond. In fact, there was nothing indicating a rift between them. The two will come together again in IPL 2025, and Ashwin is going to join hands with Dhoni for CSK again. Their association has been CSK’s lifeblood through the years. And the relationship of the two of them was always one of the brightest spots of any IPL season.
MS Dhoni Incident Of 2010
To understand the dynamics between Ashwin and Dhoni, it is important to look at a memorable incident from India’s 2010 tour of South Africa. In his autobiography, I Have The Streets – A Kutty Cricket Story, Ashwin recalled a rare instance where Dhoni lost his cool. The incident took place during an ODI match in Port Elizabeth when both Ashwin and Sreesanth were not part of the playing XI.
Ashwin was to collect drinks for the team, and was inadvertently a party to some heated argument between Dhoni and Sreesanth when Dhoni was visibly very angry at Sreesanth for passing too much of his time with other reserve cricketers. This anger is such that he instructed the Team Manager to send Sreesanth home in the midst of the tour; an act by Dhoni that was rare for his normally composed team captain. Perhaps being an unwitting messenger in the scenario made it all the more memorable in the journey for Ashwin.
The Larger Picture: No Hard Feelings
While Ashwin’s retirement speech did not mention Dhoni, it is quite essential to understand that such an omission is unlikely to be a sign of discord between the two. Perhaps it was just a lapse of memory in the wake of such an emotional announcement. Ashwin has always spoken of Dhoni in the most complimentary manner and their relationship, therefore, is built on mutual respect and trust, especially in their successful IPL partnership.
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