India skipper Rohit Sharma has opened up on Ravichandran Ashwin’s sudden retirement from international cricket on Wednesday. Premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shocked the cricketing fraternity as he pulled the plug on his international career after the completion of the drawn third Test between Australia and India in Brisbane.
Asked about the ace spinner’s sudden decision in the middle of the five-Test series in Australia, the Indian captain said that an experienced campaigner like Ashwin is allowed to make those kinds of decisions on his own and everyone has to respect it.
“Somebody like Ashwin who has been there for us for so many years is allowed to make those kinds of decisions on his own. 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 told reporters in Brisbane.
The 37-year-old also revealed that the thought of retirement had been brewing in Ashwin’s mind since the beginning of the ongoing tour.
“We had this chat when I arrived in Perth. I somehow convinced him to stay for the pink-ball Test and then after…it just happened. He felt that if I’m not needed right now in the series, I’m better off saying goodbye to the game,” said Rohit.
As @ashwinravi99 steps away from the game, skipper @ImRo45 remembers his efforts to keep Ashwin in the squad for the #AUSvIND pink ball test, but ultimately, the team respects his decision to retire. #AUSvINDOnStar 4th Test | THU, 26th DEC, 4:30 AM only on Star Sports 1! pic.twitter.com/JT3v6DD00B
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 18, 2024
Ashwin finished his international career with 106 Tests for India, picking 537 wickets and scoring 3503 runs. He remains the only Test cricketer to have claimed over 500 wickets and hit six centuries in the longest format of the game. He also took 156 ODI wickets for India from 116 matches and 72 in the T20Is from 65 appearances.
Rohit also went down memory lane and spoke about his early days of knowing Ashwin.
“I’ve played cricket with Ash since U17. He was an opening batter back then. A few years later, we all disappeared. And then suddenly I’m hearing about Tamil Nadu’s R Ashwin taking five wickets, and I was wondering who this guy is. Because I played him as a batsman and suddenly he has turned out to be a bowler who’s taking five-fors,” he said.
The India skipper also lauded Ashwin for his match-winning ability and termed him as India’s crisis man.
“One of the true match winners that India has ever seen. Whenever there was a crisis, we had to look upon Ash, and he was there to deliver for us,” said Rohit.
“His records speak for themselves. He has been a servant of Indian cricket and has probably not left any stones unturned,” he added.
