Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin retired from international cricket with immediate effect on Wednesday, 18 December 2024.
Ashwin retired after the third Test during India’s ongoing series against Australia. He took 537 wickets in 106 Tests from 2011 to 2024. This included eight 10-wicket match hauls and 37 innings five-fors.
“This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level. I feel there’s a little bit of punch left in me as a cricketer, but I’d like to express that, showcase that in club-level cricket,” said Ashwin.
“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 originals, we can say that. I will be marking this as my date of having played at this level.
“Obviously there are a lot of people to thank, but I will be failing in my duties if I didn’t thank the Board of Control for Cricket in India and fellow team-mates. I want to name a few of them, some of the coaches also who have been part of the journey. Most importantly, Rohit, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, who have taken some of the catches around the bat and given me the number of wickets I’ve managed to get over the years.”
Ashwin also played 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is. He is among the Chennai Super Kings squad for the 2025 Indian Premier League.
“See you soon. As a cricketer, I have just stopped it. Might go on to be involved with the game, because this is a game that has given me everything,” he added.