Minutes after India managed to pull off a draw in the third Test of the Border Gavaskar Test Series, news of the retirement of India’s second-most successful bowler of all time started doing the rounds.
Indian Star offspinner, Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement in the post-match press conference along with skipper Rohit Sharma after the game ended in a draw.
I won't take too much of your time. Today will be the last day for me as an India cricketer
With this announcement, Ravichandran Ashwin has brought an end to a 14-year illustrious International career.
🗣️ "I've had a lot of fun and created a lot of memories."
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 18, 2024
All-rounder R Ashwin reflects after bringing the curtain down on a glorious career 👌👌#TeamIndia | #ThankYouAshwin | @ashwinravi99 pic.twitter.com/dguzbaousg
Having started as a batsman for his Tamil Nadu team, the Indian star’s true calling in the big league came when he decided to take up off-spin to add to his skillsets. Little did the world know then that this tall bowler will end his career as one of the leading all-time offspinners, the game has ever produced.
The 38-year-old spinner is India’s second-leading wicket-taker in international cricket as well as in Test cricket. Anil Kumble is India’s leading wicket-taker with 619 wickets in Test Cricket while Ravichandran Ashwin took 537 scalps.
Since making his debut against West indies in Delhi in 2011 to his retirement announcement today, Ravichandran Ashwin has been an integral part of the Indian Test squad and have proved in multiple occasions his value to the team with contributions with both ball and bat. He played 106 Test matches for India.
Ravichandran Ashwin is the Fastest to 250, 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 Test Wickets.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s contribution with the bat made him a bowling allrounder in the team.
Test Career Stats:
Matches: 106 |
Wickets: 537 (India’s 2nd highest) |
37 Five-Wicket Hauls | 8 Ten-Wicket Matches |
6 Test Centuries |
A Test specialist, Ashwin also contributed to the shortest format of the game.
He played in 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is with 156 and 72 wickets respectively.
In the Indian Premier League too, he has been a very big success to the teams he played with. In the recently concluded IPL 2025 mega auction, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bought Ravichandran Ashwin for Rs 9.75 crore. The bid was the result of an intense bidding war with Rajasthan Royals.
Chennai Super Kings, was a team he so desperately wanted to be a part of.
Ashwin’s return to CSK was a homecoming for the veteran spinner, who played for the team from 2009 to 2015. He was part of two title-winning campaigns in 2010 and 2011.
Kumble tweet
.@ashwinravi99, your journey has been nothing short of extraordinary! With over 700 international wickets and a keen cricketing mind, you are one of the finest to have graced the field. Congratulations on a stellar career, and here's to an even brighter future off the field! 👏🏽🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/60lbNnyPi8
— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) December 18, 2024
Jay Shah tweet
One of @bcci’s greatest match-winners - a magician with the ball and an astute thinker of the game. An international career to be proud of @ashwinravi99, wishing you the best for the future. pic.twitter.com/6RKbiG8jsw
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) December 18, 2024
Most Wickets For India In International Cricket
- Anil Kumble: 953
- Ravichandran Ashwin: 765
- Harbhajan Singh: 707
- Kapil Dev: 687
- Zaheer Khan: 597
- Ravindra Jadeja: 593
- Javagal Srinath: 551
- Mohammed Shami: 448
- Ishant Sharma: 434
- Jasprit Bumrah: 432
SuperSports Views
Truly the end of an era. Ashwin with his knowledge of the game, helped his captain immensely not just as a player but also as a member of the leadership group. Ravichandran Ashwin will always be remembered as the Indian wizard of spin who revolutionized off-spin with his unorthodox approach to the game. His carrom ball should be coined “the Ashwin ball”
Ashwin led the bowling attack, especially in Indian and subcontinent pitches and was one of the Keys behind India’s rise to the top and eventual domination in Test cricket that lasted from 2014 to 2019.
A proud cricketer, once he knew that he may not be in consideration for the remaining tests in the BGT series, he put his self-respect ahead of everything else and knew it was time.
We at SuperSports, however, do believe that Ashwin may be needed if India reaches the finals of the World Test Championship.
With Ashwin stepping down from the international stage, he is truly leaving behind a tremendous legacy and massive boots to fill for the youngsters who will come in to make up for his presence.
Ravichandran Ashwin with his tactical cricket mind and approach to the game, deserved to captain the Indian Test team before he retired.
Ashwin led the bowling attack, especially in Indian and subcontinent pitches and was one of the Keys behind India’s rise to the top and eventual domination in Test cricket that lasted from 2014 to 2019.
Like Shane Warne widely considered, the Captain, Australia never had, Ashwin too will be considered, the Captain, India never had.
A true cricketing genius retires on his terms, leaving a lasting legacy in the sport. We wish Ashwin the very best for his future.
See you at the IPL.
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