File image of R Ashwin.© AFP
Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has played down the idea of being given a big farewell, following his retirement from international cricket. A talking point after Ashwin’s retirement was how it had come without any farewell or prior preparation, but instead was announced abruptly to the cricket world. Former India World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev had even mentioned that had it been upto him, Ashwin would’ve been allowed to retire with a lot of “respect and happiness”. However, Ashwin has maintained his stance in quietly retiring without much of a farewell.
“As far as I am concerned, grand farewells are wrong. I don’t think you should give grand farewell ceremonies to anyone. Especially, I firmly believe that you shouldn’t give me a grand farewell,” Ashwin said, speaking to Tamil YouTuber Gobinath C.
“I don’t want anyone shedding a drop of tear for me. I think grand send-offs are part of a super celebrity culture,” Ashwin added.
While Ashwin’s achievements – 106 Tests, 537 Test wickets and India’s second-highest international wicket-taker – put him among the list of the nation’s greatest-ever players, he has firmly stated that he didn’t want a farewell out of respect for the game of cricket.
“I feel that people should get inspired by one’s achievements, the legacy that one leaves behind, the way one left the game, and the way one has spoken about the game. But farewells are wrong, I think. If there is a match that has been organised just to celebrate me, I think it’s a disservice to the game,” Ashwin further elaborated.
While Ashwin’s sudden retirement, without a farewell, caught the cricket world by surprise and even led his father to comment that he had been “humiliated”, Ashwin has been swift to deny any such rift with the leadership group constituting of Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir.
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