One of India’s greatest Test match bowlers Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from all forms of cricket at the end of the third Test vs Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday. The game ended in a draw with the series level at 1-1.
Ashwin has called it a day after 106 Tests where he went on to claim 537 wickets and scored 3,503 runs. Captain Rohit Sharma revealed that he found out about Ashwin’s decision to retire at the Perth but he convinced the off-spinner to play in the ‘Pink Ball’ Test at the Adelaide Oval.
The Tamil Nadu off-spinner ended his Test career as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in the format, with 537 wickets at an average of 24 in 106 Tests, only behind legendary Anil Kumble, who finished with 619 wickets from 132 Tests.
He played only one of the first three Tests of the ongoing five-match series in Australia, taking 1 for 53 in the day-night fixture in Adelaide. In the previous series, the 3-0 defeat at home to New Zealand, Ashwin had picked up only nine wickets at an average of 41.22.
Ashwin also managed to score 3,503 Test runs with six hundreds and 14 fifties and one of only 11 cricketers to have a double of 3,000 runs and 300 Test wickets. He also hold the record of 11 ‘Player-of-the-series’ award with Muttiah Muralitharan.
“This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats of the game. There is some punch left in me as a cricketer but I would like to showcase that in club cricket. This will be the last day. I have had a lot of fun and created a lot of memories along side Rohit (Sharma) and all of my other teammates,” Ashwin said in the post-match press conference at the Gabba.
Ravichandran Ashwin announces his retirement from all forms of international cricket.
Congratulations on a brilliant career pic.twitter.com/UHWAFmMwC0
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 18, 2024
“We are the last bunch of ‘OGs’ in the dressing room. I would be failing in my duties if I don’t thank the BCCI and several of my teammates. I want to thank Rohit, Virat (Kohli, Ajinkya (Rahane) and (Cheteshwar) Pujara to help with the number of wickets I have taken over the years. It is truly a very emotional moment,” Ashwin added.
Ashwin will, of course, be continuing to ply his trade in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He will be making a return to ‘home’ with Chennai Super Kings picking him up for Rs 9.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah last month.
