Ravichandran Ashwin retires from international cricket

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his immediate retirement from international cricket on Wednesday.

The veteran confirmed his decision shortly after the conclusion of the third Test against Australia in Brisbane, which ended in a draw after several days of bad weather.

“This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level,” Ashwin said in a press conference at the Gabba.

“I feel there’s a little bit of punch left in me as a cricketer, but I’d like to express that, showcase that in club-level cricket.

“I’ve had a lot of fun. I have made a lot of memories alongside Rohit [Sharma] and several of my teammates, even though we’ve lost some of them [to retirements] over the last few years.

“We’re the last bunch of OGs, we can say that.”

Ashwin played only one of the first three Tests of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, finishing with 1/53 in Adelaide.

The 38-year-old ends his international career as one of the most celebrated spin bowlers in cricket history.

With 537 wickets at 24 from 105 matches, Ashwin sits seventh in the all-time list of Test wicket-takers.

He also made 3,503 runs at 25.75 and hit six centuries, making him one of the most successful all-round players of the modern game.

Ashwin was similarly effective with the white ball, helping India win the 2011 Cricket World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy.

The news leaves India with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar as their spin options for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

While the series is all square at 1-1, online bookmakers have the tourists at long odds of +432 to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

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