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Upon news of his retirement, the cricketing world came together to revel, rejoice and celebrate his storied career, as he waves goodbye to the game at the international level.
Ravichandran Ashwin (Picture Credit: Sportzpics)
537 Test wickets, over 3500 Test runs with the bat himself, the most five-fors by an Indian in Tests, the joint-most ten-fors by an Indian in Test: these are merely a few of the plethora of achievements that skyrocketed Ravichandran Ashwin to the upper echelons of cricket.
Today in Brisbane, after the conclusion of an anti-climactic Third Test against Australia that ended in a draw, R Ashwin revealed to the world that he is set to retire from all formats of international cricket.
Upon news of his retirement, the cricketing world came together to revel, rejoice and celebrate his storied career, as he waves goodbye to the game at the international level.
Ashwin’s previous skipper and talisman Indian batter Virat Kohli was left speechless, taking to social media to expound on the illustrious career of the TN off-spinner.
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
India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir then followed suit, as he expressed his love and admiration for the legendary spinner.
The privilege of seeing you grow from a young bowler to a legend of modern cricket is something that I wouldn’t trade for the world! I know that generations of bowlers to come will say that I became a bowler coz of Ashwin! U will be missed brother! ❤️ @ashwinravi99 pic.twitter.com/fuATAjE8aw— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) December 18, 2024
Another spin legend of India, Harbhajan Singh also took to X and hailed him for having been the flagbearer of Indian spin over his career.
Congratulations @ashwinravi99 on a phenomenal cricket career. Your ambition as a test cricketer was admirable. Well done for being the flag bearer of Indian spin for more than a decade. Be very proud of your achievements and hopefully see you more often now.— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) December 18, 2024
Fans and more former players alike poured their hearts out expressing their despair, shock, elation and admiration for the man that had done it all for India.
An absolute match-winner, @ashwinravi99! Retiring as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket is nothing short of monumental. Combine that with his invaluable batting contributions, and you get one of the game’s solid all-rounders. Well done, Ash! pic.twitter.com/9UAxCNouSf— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 18, 2024
#WATCH | BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla says, “Today, R Ashwin has announced his retirement. His contribution to world cricket, to Indian cricket is immense. This should be appreciated by everyone. BCCI also appreciates it and always salutes his contribution to the world… pic.twitter.com/u2MZW3LF0I— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2024
a GOAT retiresWell done on what’s been an outstanding career . Proud to have played with you and definitely the greatest ever to have played from TAMILNADU. @ashwinravi99
Much love and enjoy some leisurely time with family and friends ❤️#INDvAUS #ashwin#legend
— DK (@DineshKarthik) December 18, 2024
Whether in Tests, ODIs, or T20Is, Ashwin has consistently delivered for India, earning his place among cricketing greats.
