Ravichandran Ashwin will be forever hailed as one of the best bowlers that India has ever produced. After the Gabba Test match against Australia, the off-spinner concluded an incredible career with over 750 international wickets for India. After the Gabba draw, Ashwin said that his career as an international cricketer for India has come to an end, although he still has enough "punch" left.
Ashwin reveals call log from retirement day
Ashwin arrived in India on Thursday morning after flying from Brisbane. The 38-year-old has now provided a glimpse of what his last day as a cricket player for his country looked like. He FaceTimed with Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar. This is not the end, though, as Ashwin also disclosed that the 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev called him on WhatsApp. Ashwin shared a screenshot of his call log on social media and captioned it by writing a beautiful message.
"If some one told me 25 years ago that I would have a smart phone with me and the call log on the last day of my career as an Indian cricketer would look like this, would have had a heart attack then only. Thanks, @sachin_rt and @therealkapildev paaji," Ashwin wrote on X formerly known as Twitter.
Cricket fraternity celebrates Ashwin
Both present and former cricket players have paid laudatory homage to Ashwin after he announced his retirement from international cricket. Heartfelt words for the 38-year-old were also offered by Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli. As one of the greatest match-winners the nation has ever produced, Ashwin ended his international career. In the statistics of Indian bowlers who have taken wickets, he is ranked second only to Anil Kumble.
Ashwin was also a member of the teams that won the Champions Trophy in 2013 and the ODI World Cup in 2011. In 2016, he was named the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year and ICC Cricketer of the Year.
