Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reflects on his journey, admitting he planned to bow out earlier but ended up extending his international career till 38, leaving behind a golden legacy in Indian cricket.
New Delhi [India], August 22: Ravichandran Ashwin, one of India’s best spinners and cricket minds, has said that he never planned to play international cricket till he was 38. On his YouTube show “Kutti Stories with Ash,” Ashwin talked honestly about how he had originally planned his swansong much earlier, when he was about 34 or 35.
Ashwin’s announcement of his retirement during the 2024 Border-Gavaskar Trophy after the drawn Brisbane Test shocked the cricketing world. Fans and teammates had a hard time imagining an Indian Test team without his cunning, toughness, and unequaled cricketing knowledge when he left.
“I had made up my mind that I would retire at 34 or 35. I suppose it was just the moment and the place I was in my life. I have to say, I felt fairly elderly. Ashwin said, “Going on tours and having to sit out more often finally got to me.”
The off-spinner also talked about how hard it is to balance cricket with family life. “Sometimes you think, maybe I should just stay home and spend time with my kids?” He thought, “They are getting older, and I’m wondering what I’m really doing.”
Ashwin thinks that taking small pauses from the game helps him find his love for it again. “Sometimes taking a step back from a situation can make you want to come back stronger.” I didn’t want to let the squad down, but I needed a break mentally.
A Legendary Career in Numbers
Ashwin’s career stats say a lot about how excellent he is. He took 537 wickets in 106 Tests, at an average of 24.00. This included 37 five-wicket hauls and 8 ten-wicket match hauls. He is the eighth-highest wicket-taker in Test history and the second-highest for India, behind Anil Kumble.
He was a good all-around player with the bat, amassing 3,503 runs at an average of 25.75, including six centuries and 14 fifties. His greatest Test result, 124, will always be remembered as a sign of his fighting spirit.
In ODIs, Ashwin collected 156 wickets in 116 matches and also scored useful runs lower down the order. He took 765 wickets in 287 matches, which makes him India’s second-highest wicket-taker after Anil Kumble.
More Than Just Numbers
Ashwin was an important element of India’s most famous wins, not just in terms of stats. His career is full of highlights that characterized a generation of Indian cricket, from winning the 2011 ICC World Cup at home to the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Ashwin may have retired later than he had planned, but he is a great in the sport who combined art with brains and passion with common sense.