By Subhayan Chakraborty from Brisbane
And that was it from Ravichandran Ashwin in international cricket. No build-up, no hype, and no farewell as a teary-eyed Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket after the completion of the Gabba Test on Wednesday. The series is poised at 1-1, but India will not have the services of one of the greatest spinners the cricketing world has seen. For Harbhajan Singh, the mid-series announcement came as a surprise; the legendary Indian spinner wished the 38-year-old the best for his post-retirement life, adding that Ashwin has taken the legacy of Indian spinners to new heights.
As the host broadcasters shifted their focus to Team India’s pavilion at the Gabba during the tea break, with heavy rain around, an emotional Ashwin was spotted sitting with Virat Kohli. Both hugged after the legendary spinner told the batting maestro that it would be his last day as an international cricketer. Harbhajan reckons the decision to retire was not made overnight.
“I was a bit surprised by the announcement. I think he should have played the entire series, but everyone has their own thought process. He must have given it good thought on what to do with his career. A phenomenal career. He has done exceptionally well for India over the years, winning plenty of matches and series,” Harbhajan told RevSportz. “He has given an upward graph to the tradition of Indian spinners. I wish him all the very best. I hope his next innings will be even more successful. All the best, and well done for what you have done for Indian cricket.”
Ashwin retires with 537 Test wickets — the fourth highest — 156 ODI, and 76 T20I scalps to his name and will go down as one of the finest spinners the world has seen. Calling him a “cricket ka keeda,” Harbhajan said the lack of game time on overseas tours, the ongoing transition, and the preference for Washington Sundar might have triggered Ashwin’s decision to retire mid-series.
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“He has always been a thinking cricketer. He analyses things minutely. Cricket ka keeda hai wo (He is a cricket nut). He analyses cricketing aspects very deeply and is a great student of the game. The decision to retire from international cricket, I don’t think it came suddenly,” Harbhajan said while praising Ashwin. “I think he must have been thinking about this for a while now. In my opinion, what might have triggered the retirement is the fact that he hasn’t been part of the playing XI much whenever India goes on an overseas tour. When you’ve taken so many wickets and are one of the best spinners, not just in this series but in many past ones where he hasn’t started in the playing XI, it could have prompted that thought.
“The fact that India won’t play a home Test series until October 2025, and the transition we are seeing in the spin department with Washington Sundar being preferred, as we saw in the first Test here, he might have thought that Sundar could be the preferred option in the upcoming England Test series as well. Maybe that could be the reason, and that’s what I’ve heard from different people. But if we look at his career, it has been phenomenal. What a superb career he has had,” the legendary off-spinner added.
While Washington Sundar has been a preferred choice for the Gautam Gambhir-led Indian team management in recent times, including the last two home Tests against New Zealand and the Perth Test against Australia, there’s room for thought about whether there will be enough right-arm finger spinners to continue Ashwin’s legacy in Indian cricket. However, Harbhajan disagrees.
“When a big player retires, there’s always the question, who next? India has produced many such legends, and the tradition will continue. India does not lack talent; there’s a bundle of talent in our country,” Harbhajan stated.
“In batting, we have Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and others. When Sachin Tendulkar retired, Virat Kohli came in, and when Virat goes, other youngsters will take over. We will find some good talent in this transition phase. I hope and pray that now when Washington Sundar gets proper chances, he lives up to it, takes his chances, improves his bowling significantly, learns more about how to bowl in overseas conditions, how to bowl on good pitches, and pick wickets there, and serves India for a long time,” Harbhajan concluded.
Also Read: “I want to bow out on my terms”: Ravichandran Ashwin