New Delhi: Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has spoken about his retirement for the first time. He said, he retired only because he felt that his time was over.
Ashwin announced his retirement in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar series that ended this month in Australia. He retired from international cricket in Brisbane after the third Test. Ashwin played only one match in this Border Gavaskar Trophy.
He said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’, I think a lot, what should I do in life. You should understand that this happens naturally. If someone comes to know that his time is over, then there is nothing left to think. People said a lot after my retirement, but I don’t think it is a big deal. This is what I am saying, don’t put so much mind into it.
Ashwin said – I did not want to play the farewell test
Ashwin further said, ‘I want to play more cricket. Where is the place? Obviously not in the Indian dressing room but elsewhere, I want to be honest to the game. Imagine if I want to play a farewell Test but I don’t deserve to play in the team, then I myself would not want to be taken in the team.
If I don’t deserve and I get a chance just because it is my farewell Test, then I will not accept it myself. I think there is still strength in my cricket. One thing I will say is that in our cricket career, it may happen that what we want does not happen. But when I retired, there was nothing like that. We play the game for the happiness it gives us.’
Ashwin has taken 537 wickets in Tests
38-year-old Ravichandran Ashwin has played 106 Tests, 116 ODIs and 65 T20 matches for India in his career, he has taken 537 wickets in Tests and 156 wickets in ODIs. At the same time, he has got 72 wickets in T20. Ashwin has scored 3503 runs in Tests, 707 in ODIs and 184 in T20s.