Ravichandran Ashwin announces his retirement from international cricket and will depart from the ongoing series to return home

India’s veteran spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, has announced his retirement from international cricket. He made this decision public during a press conference following the Gabba Test, where he was joined by captain Rohit Sharma. Before making the announcement, Ashwin was seen in the dressing room with Virat Kohli, who shared an emotional moment with him, hugging him as they bid farewell. Ashwin had been part of Team India during the Adelaide Day-Night Test.

At 38 years old, Ashwin leaves behind an impressive record in international cricket. He is currently the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Test history, with 537 wickets in 106 Tests. His best bowling figures stand at seven wickets for 59 runs, with an average of 24.00 and a strike rate of 50.73. Ashwin is second only to Anil Kumble among Indian bowlers, with Kumble having taken 619 wickets in Tests. His retirement comes as a surprise, particularly given his prominent role as the spearhead of India’s spin attack, especially on home soil. Ashwin has been a consistent presence in India’s Test squad since his debut and has never missed a home Test match.

Ashwin has claimed 37 five-wicket hauls in Tests, the most by any Indian bowler, surpassing Kumble, who took five wickets in an innings 35 times. The overall record is held by Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan with 67 such hauls, while Ashwin shares second place with Shane Warne. Alongside his 106 Tests, Ashwin has also represented India in 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is, taking 156 wickets in ODIs and 72 in T20s. His best ODI bowling figures are four wickets for 25 runs, and in T20s, four wickets for eight runs. His economy rates stand at 4.93 in ODIs and 6.90 in T20s. Despite his success, Ashwin never took five wickets in an innings in either format.

In addition to his bowling achievements, Ashwin has contributed with the bat, scoring 3,503 runs in Tests at an average of 25.75, with one century and six half-centuries. He has also scored 707 runs in ODIs and 184 runs in T20s. Ashwin made his international debut in ODIs and T20s against Zimbabwe in 2010 and his Test debut in 2011 against the West Indies. He has won the most Player of the Series awards in Tests, with 11 such accolades, sharing the record with Muralitharan.

Ashwin was part of India’s victorious 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy teams. However, he did not secure any additional ICC trophies after those wins. While he has been a mainstay in India’s Test team, Ashwin has seen limited opportunities in ODIs and T20s, with his role in the latter not always guaranteed, especially during the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups. Moving forward, Ashwin will continue his career in the IPL, where he has been included in the Chennai Super Kings squad.