“Having to just sit out a lot more” - Ravi Ashwin reveals the reason behind his sudden retirement

Former Indian spinner and analyst Ravi Ashwin stunned the cricketing world when he announced his retirement during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 campaign Down Under against Australia.

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Moving into the details, following the third Test in Brisbane, Ashwin announced his decision in the post-match press conference alongside the then skipper Rohit Sharma sitting by his side after the game ended in a draw.

Notably, Ashwin retired from the longest format of the game as the second-leading wicket-taker for India, pocketing 537 wickets from 106 games, while India’s greatest spinner, Anil Kumble, still leads the pack with 619 wickets. 

"I think it was just the time, and where I stood in my life, right? I think I was pretty old, I must admit. But going on tours, and you know, having to just sit out a lot more, it just eventually got to me,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel, where former India coach Rahul Dravid had come as a guest.

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"I mean, not in terms of not wanting to contribute to the team, but you're thinking if I would rather be at home, spending time with children. They are also growing up, and what am I actually doing? I just felt, ok. In my head, I always decided that I would retire at 34-35,” he added.

Delving into the details of Ashwin’s white-ball numbers, in 116 ODIs, he has scalped 156 wickets at an average of 33.2 with the best figures of 4/25. On the other hand, he has amassed 707 runs at an average of 16.44 with a fifty.

Moreover, in 65 T20Is, he took 72 wickets at an average of 23.22 with the best figures of 4/8. Also, he scored 184 runs from 19 innings at an average of 26.28 in the shortest format of the game.

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Speaking about his international numbers, he has pocketed 765 wickets in 287 innings, emerging as India’s second-leading wicket-taker across formats behind Anil Kumble, who scalped 953 wickets.

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