Ravichandran Ashwin has announced that he is retiring from all formats of cricket with immediate effect. This comes after the draw in the third Test against Australia in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Ravi Ashwin is 38 years old now and he is currently ranked fifth and third on the ICC Test rankings for bowlers and all rounders respectively.
If we talk about the players in India, he is the second-highest wicket-taker in the Test matches, only behind Anil Kumble. Ashwin had a 14-year-long Test career during which he played 106 matches. His last match was the pink ball test against Australia in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy.
In Test matches, he finished with 537 wickets, which is quite an accomplishment. With this tally, he is seventh on the all-time list of highest wicket-takers in Test history.
He appeared in the press conference with Rohit Sharma after the conclusion of the third Test match. Here is what he said.
“This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level. I do feel there is a bit of punch left in me as a cricketer, but I would like to expose that probably… showcase that in clubs that are in cricket, but this will be the last day. I had a lot of fun.
“I must say I created a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my other teammates. Even though I lost some of them over the last few years, we are the last bunch of OGs, if you can say that, left out of the dressing room. I would be marking this as my date of having played at this level.
“Obviously, there are a lot of people to thank, but I would be failing in my duties if I didn’t thank the BCCI and the fellow teammates. I want to name a few of them. All the coaches who have been a part of the journey.
He also said, “Most importantly, Rohit, Virat [Kohli], Ajinkya [Rahane], [Cheteshwar] Pujara, who have taken those catches around the back to give me the number of wickets I have managed to get over the years. Also, a big thank you to the Australian cricket team, who have been very fierce competitors. I have enjoyed my time playing against them.”
Apart from Test matches, he also played 116 ODIs for India as well. He took 156 wickets at an economy of 4.93 and an average of 33.20. In T20I games, he took 72 wickets in 65 matches.