Brisbane: “This will be my last day as an international cricketer… it is an emotional moment and I won’t be taking any questions.”
It was a short announcement as R Ashwin called time on an incredible international career. He had his captain, and long time teammate, Rohit Sharma by his side while he revealed the news and the two looked very emotional for the couple of minutes they sat together behind the microphone. Ashwin didn’t wait a second after the announcement was done and gave a warm hug to Rohit before leaving the room to a well-deserved round of applause.
The cricketer and the team man in him didn’t want to make this day, which saw India fight out a draw from a very delicate position, about himself, especially in the middle of the series but he wasn’t willing to wait any longer to call it a day. His teammate from the U-17 days wore a very emotional look as one from the “last bunch of the OGs” was no longer going to be there in the dressing room.
R Ashwin announces retirement from Test cricket
“I had a lot of fun with this team. Would like to thank the BCCI, players and coaches I played with. Rohit, Virat (Kohli), Ajinkya (Rahane) and (Cheteshwar) Pujara… they took those catches. We were actually the last bunch of OGs in that dressing,” the offie had the wit intact even on a very tough day for him.
While Rohit didn’t talk much about what led to Ashwin’s retirement, the captain did reveal that he came to know about what Ashwin was thinking when he arrived in Perth. He had to convince the off-spinner to play the pink-ball Test vs Australia in Adelaide.
Read | A look at Ashwin’s career in numbers
“I heard about Ashwin’s retirement when I came to Perth. He understands what the team is thinking, the combinations team is thinking. I convinced him to stay for the pink-ball Test,” says Rohit.
The Indian captain further added that Ashwin will not remain with the team any longer, and will be heading home tomorrow (Thursday). When asked if there were any more surprises in store during the ongoing tour, Rohit responded in his trademark fashion, “abhi to aisa kuch nahi hai,” with the smile intact.
R Ashwin finished his Test career with 537 wickets. (Graphic: TimesofIndia.com)
Rohit is very witty and fun during his long pressers but today felt a bit different. He was bidding goodbye to a very old teammate and that parting hug is going to remain a very iconic image.