File image of Ravichandran Ashwin.© BCCI
Former Australia cricketers Brett Lee and Brad Haddin speculated about the reasons that led to legendary India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin‘s sudden retirement midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25. Ashwin announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket upon the conclusion of the third Test, with two Tests still remaining in the series. Lee and Haddin speculated that Ashwin may have already been communicated about his future in the side, and that he may have been frustrated with the constant uncertainty regarding his place.
“I think the last time a spinner retired through a series (in Australia) was Graeme Swann (when England were 0-3 down in the 2013/14 Ashes). He (Ashwin) may have been told that he’s not going to play any further part in this series, and rightly so, just decided to go out on his own terms,” said former pacer Lee, speaking on Fox cricket.
Haddin suggested that there may have been some frustration that motivated Ashwin to announce retirement in such an abrupt manner.
“More will come out when Ashwin has his opportunity to speak; just reading between the lines, it looked like he may have been a bit frustrated with the spinning options that they’ve changed in the first three Test matches,” Haddin said.
India have used three different players as their lone spinner for the first three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Washington Sundar was preferred for the first Test in Perth, Ashwin returned for the pink-ball second Test at Adelaide, before being dropped again for Ravindra Jadeja in the third Test in Brisbane.
The 38-year-old finishes with 537 Test wickets in 106 matches, as India’s second-highest Test wicket-taker behind Anil Kumble, who had 619. Ashwin is also India’s second-highest Test wicket-taker in all formats, having picked up 765 wickets across Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
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