India’s ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect on the last day of the third Test against Australia in Brisbane.
After the rain-hit match ended in a draw, Ashwin accompanied his skipper, Rohit Sharma, to the press conference where he broke the news about his retirement.
“I won’t take too much of your time. Today will be the last day for me as an India cricketer,” Ashwin said and left soon after making the announcement. He didn’t take any questions from the media.
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“He was very, very sure of his decision. We should stand by what he wants,” said Rohit after Ashwin left the stage.
Ashwin concluded his remarkable 14-year international career, securing his position as India’s second most successful Test bowler with 537 wickets in 106 matches. The 38-year-old spinner achieved 37 five-wicket hauls in Tests.
Ashwin also made a name for himself as Test allrounder, with six centuries to his name in the red-ball internationals. He also enjoyed being the top-ranked Test allrounder in the ICC rankings.
In white-ball cricket, Ashwin played 116 ODIs, taking 156 wickets. In 65 T20Is, he claimed 72 wickets.
Ashwin’s departure coincides with the peak performance of India’s spin bowling quartet in Test cricket, particularly in the World Test Championship across three cycles.
He achieved the distinction of being the first bowler to reach 100 WTC wickets and currently leads the wicket-taking charts with 195 dismissals in 41 matches, with Australian spinner Nathan Lyon following closely at 190 wickets.
Following his recent acquisition by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 9.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction in November, Ashwin will continue to play in franchise cricket.
In the closing stages of the Gabba Test on Wednesday, Virat Kohli was seen sitting with Ashwin in the dressing room having a warm chat. He also hugged Ashwin and put an arm around him, sparking speculations of the off-spinner’s retirement, which he confirmed later at the press conference sitting alongside captain Rohit.
The 38-year-old played the day-night Test in Adelaide and picked up one wicket.
