The art of leaving: Ashwin quits international cricket without any fanfare

Ravichandran Ashwin, the quintessential cricketing nerd who bamboozled batters through skill, guile, and acumen, stumped fans around the globe on Wednesday when he retired from international cricket with immediate effect at the end of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Brisbane.

 

 

“This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer across formats at the international level,” Ashwin said during a press conference after the Brisbane Test.

 

“I do feel there’s a bit of punch left in me as a cricketer, but I would like to express that and probably showcase that in club-level cricket. But this will be the last day (for India),” he explained.

 

With 537 wickets from 106 Tests, Ashwin is India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, behind Anil Kumble.

 

Over 14 years, Ashwin has been instrumental in India becoming a dominant team at home.

 

The timing of the announcement, almost Dhoni-esque, assumes significance, particularly because it comes in the middle of a high-octane series in Australia.

 

“If I am not needed right now in the series, I am better off saying goodbye to the game,” Ashwin had told India captain Rohit Sharma before retiring.

 

The ace off-spinner had made it clear to the team management that if he was not guaranteed a spot in the playing XI during the Australia series, he would not travel for the series Down Under.

 

Getting the axe in Perth and Brisbane was what broke the proverbial camel’s back, some feel.

 

“Not too many retire with much left in the tank. But Ashwin has. Like many, the decision has surprised me. Will really miss that spinner with magic in his fingers,” former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar posted on X.

 

At 38, Ashwin never looked like a bowler who was spent. In his final Test — the day/night game in Adelaide — he looked like the same wide-eyed student of the game trying to win games for India.

 

“After having played so many Tests and taking so many wickets, if you are still fighting for a spot in the team, it can be a tad frustrating. Perhaps, he would have thought that it was now time to make way for some of the youngsters who are waiting in the wings,” a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source told Business Standard.

 

Ashwin walks into the sunset with at least two more years of playing time.

 

Like Ashwin, M S Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket in December 2014 took everyone by surprise. His decision to step away from the longest format after the Melbourne Test against Australia was as unorthodox and enigmatic as Dhoni himself.

 

Dhoni had achieved everything he set out to do in limited-overs cricket, and his contributions to Indian cricket, especially as captain, were monumental. In many ways, his Test retirement was a graceful exit, allowing his team to transition without the weight of his presence in the format hanging over them.

 

Like Dhoni and now Ashwin, few have managed to perfect the art of retirement. Why do athletes struggle to call time?

 

For professional athletes, their careers, exploits, and recognition can become the defining aspect of their identity. The transition to a retired life can be particularly arduous to navigate.

 

Among illustrious Indian cricketers, Kapil Dev ploughed away to surpass Sir Richard Hadlee’s record for the highest wickets in Tests. By the time Dev retired in 1994, he had lost his prodigious swing and was barely at Sourav Ganguly’s pace.

 

Sachin Tendulkar also hung around after India’s epochal 2011 World Cup win, some say to clinch the record for 100 international centuries.

 

The BCCI hastily planned a two-match Test series against the West Indies in November 2013 to ensure Tendulkar got a fitting farewell and also played his landmark 200th Test at home in Mumbai.

 

With Ashwin’s exit, Indian cricket embarks on the tricky phase of transition.

 

The ‘Super King’ returns home on Thursday and will be seen in the Chennai Super Kings yellow jersey in April next year.

 

A stand at the Chepauk is likely to be named after him.

 

Will his retirement force Sharma and Kohli to introspect and call time on their respective careers?

They are in the midst of a lean run of form and look knackered and bereft of ideas.

 

Fans may get an answer on January 7, the final day of the fifth Test in Sydney.