The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) honored Ravichandran Ashwin with a heartfelt tribute as the legendary spinner announced his retirement on Wednesday. The 38-year-old ends his illustrious career having played 106 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 65 T20Is, amassing an impressive total of 765 wickets across formats. Ashwin retires as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, with 537 wickets to his name.
In recognition of Ashwin’s remarkable contributions to Indian cricket, the BCCI shared a video on social media showcasing some of the iconic moments from his 14-year career.
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In the video, Ashwin shared a reflective message: “I don’t know where to begin. I made myself a promise in 2012. We lost a series to England in 2012. A tricky one. I was early in my career and I was just telling myself, ‘We are not going to lose another one ever.’”
He added, “How many wickets you take, how many ever runs you make in 10 years you won’t remember. It’s the memories that matter. If somebody had told me in 2011 that I would be getting so many wickets, I’d be retiring on December 2024, the 18th, I wouldn’t have believed them. This is a game that I love but I never did expect I would get so much love, so many wickets and runs. I am very glad, a deep sense of gratitude for everyone who supported me, that’s challenged me. So happy today, thank you.”
Ashwin’s retirement announcement came after the drawn third Test in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Reflecting on his decision, he said, “I won’t take too much of your time. Today will be the last day for me as an India cricketer. There’s a bit left in me as a cricketer, but I would like to exploit it at the domestic and club-level cricket. I have had a lot of fun, a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my other teammates. We’ve lost some of them over the last few years, we’ve been the last bunch of OGs I can say that are left out in the dressing room.”
