File photo of Virat Kohli (right) and Ravichandran Ashwin.© BCCI
India stalwart Virat Kohli penned an emotional note for his friend and one of India’s most decorated spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin, who announced his international retirement on Wednesday. Ashwin and Kohli have been playing in Indian colours for 14 years and have seen ups and downs together. They have been a part of some of India’s famous victories and some of the most upsetting results as well. The 38-year-old who is with the Indian team in Brisbane shared a heartwarming moment with Virat. The anticipation around Ashwin’s retirement started to build up when he was captured visibly emotional and was hugged by Kohli on camera.
“I’ve played with you for 14 years and when you told me today you’re retiring, it made me a bit emotional and the flashbacks of all those years playing together came to me. I’ve enjoyed every bit of the journey with you ash, your skill and match-winning contributions to Indian cricket are second to none and you will always and always be remembered as a legend of Indian cricket,” Kohli wrote on his social media handle.
“Wish you nothing but the best in your life with your family and everything else that it unfolds for you. With massive respect and lots of love to you and your close ones. Thanks for everything buddy,” he concluded.
I’ve played with you for 14 years and when you told me today you’re retiring, it made me a bit emotional and the flashbacks of all those years playing together came to me. I’ve enjoyed every bit of the journey with you ash, your skill and match winning contributions to Indian… pic.twitter.com/QGQ2Z7pAgc
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) December 18, 2024
The crafty off-spinner was brief while announcing that Wednesday marked his last day as an international cricketer.
“I don’t want to make it about myself. This is my last day as an international cricketer. I’ve had a lot of fun. I have made a lot of memories alongside Rohit [Sharma] and several of my team-mates, even though we’ve lost some of them [to retirements] over the last few years. We’re the last bunch of OGs, we can say that. I will be marking this as my date of having played at this level,” Ashwin said in the post-match press conference alongside India skipper Rohit Sharma.
With red-ball cricket being his forte, Ashwin featured in 106 Tests, picked up a whopping 537 wickets, including 37 five-wicket hauls, and amassed 3,503 runs. One can even argue that his contributions to Indian cricket are far greater than just what those staggering numbers indicate.
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