India's ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's sudden retirement left the entire cricketing world surprised as it all happened in middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-2025 in Brisbane. Ashwin, who traveled to Australia as India's most experienced spinner, was surprisingly benched for the series opener alongside Ravindra Jadeja. However, he played the second Test against Australia in Adelaide. Later Ashwin was once again sidelined for the third game, leading him to make the unexpected decision to call it quits to international cricket. For a bowler of Ashwin's stature, who has always delivered for India in almost every home Test since his debut, left many mulling over what led to his sudden decision.
Ashwin's shocking retirement didn't sit well with another India's spin legend Anil Kumble who expressed his disappointment with the manner in which the veteran spinner retired.
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Anil Kumble reveals why he was disappointed with Ashwin's retirement
Kumble said that for the players who have contributed for such a long period deserves a grand farewell.
"Players who have contributed for such a long period deserve a grand farewell. They need to be sat down and offered an appropriate plan on how you want them to leave the game. I was very disappointed with the way Ashwin left. Many cricketers in the past missed out on a farewell, too. The kind of benchmarks he has set won’t be easy for anyone to live up to. He served Indian cricket with distinction," Kumble told Sports Star.
Ashwin was on cusp of surpassing Kumble as India's leading Test wicket-taker at a point. However, whatever Ashwin achieved in his glittery career was nothing short of spectacular. He concluded his illustrious Test career with an impressive tally of 537 wickets and 3503 runs in 106 matches. Kumble, with his record of 619 wickets, remains India's highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. Ashwin's stunning performance wasn't limited to just Test cricket as also made significant strides in the limited-overs formats, representing his country in 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is. Ashwin participated in the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups, as well as making a solitary appearance in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Post retirement, Ashwin will shift his focus on the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, having reunited with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs 9.75 crore.