Brisbane, Dec 18
Captain Rohit Sharma praised India's premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's decision to retire from international cricket, saying "some decisions are very personal" and the entire team has complete backing of Ashwin's thought process.
The 38-year-old broke the news of his retirement after India’s fourth Test against Australia in Brisbane ended in a draw. He ended his career with 537 wickets at an average of 24 in 106 Tests and became India’s second-leading wicket-taker after legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble. He also scored six Test centuries and 14 fifties with the bat. His last international game was the day-night Test in Adelaide, where he took 1-53.
"See some decisions are very personal and I don't think questions should be asked or raised? Yeah, if a player has a choice, he has to be given that choice and somebody like Ash, who's been there for us for so many years, is allowed to make those kinds of decisions on his own. And we as teammates have to respect it. He was very sure about what he wanted to do. And the team has complete backing of his thought process," Rohit said in the post-match press conference.
"I heard this when I came to Perth. I was not there for the first three or four days of the Test match, but this was in his mind since then. And there are obviously a lot of things that went behind it. I'm pretty sure Ash, when in position, will be able to answer that. But he understands, you know what the team is thinking. He understands what kind of combinations we are thinking.
Speculations about Ashwin’s future had been brewing when cameras captured Virat Kohli hugging an emotional Ashwin during a rain interval on Day 5 of the Brisbane Test. Ashwin was also seen sharing moments with his Australian counterpart Nathan Lyon. On live television, former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar hinted at Ashwin’s impending retirement, which was later confirmed.
Although Ashwin has retired from international cricket, he will continue playing in the IPL. He is set to return to Chennai Super Kings in 2025 after being acquired in the recent mega-auction.
Ashwin’s international career began in 2010 when he debuted in ODIs against Sri Lanka. A year later, he made his Test debut against the West Indies. Over 106 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 65 T20Is, he claimed 765 wickets across all formats.
In Tests, Ashwin was one of the big figures in the Indian team’s 12-year long home domination and played a starring role in the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy win in Australia. He was one of 11 allrounders to clinch the double of 3000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests. He also won a record 11 Player-of-the-Series awards, level with Muthiah Muralitharan.