Ravichandran Ashwin made the headlines after he announced his retirement from international cricket after the end of the third Test match between Australia and India at the Gabba in Brisbane. No one expected the decision to come suddenly, and that too in the middle of the series with the series and also the chances of qualifying for the WTC final on the line.
Washington Sundar played the first Test in Perth, and Ashwin was picked in the second Test match with the pink ball at the Adelaide Oval. However, he was again replaced by Ravindra Jadeja in the third Test match in Brisbane.
What did Dinesh Karthik say about Ravichandran Ashwin?
Many theories have emerged on why Ashwin took such a big decision in the middle of such an important away series. One fan asked Dinesh Karthik in a Cricbuzz video about the reason behind the decision.
Karthik stated that Ashwin may have realised that he won’t be part of the next two Test matches at the MCG and the SCG. Moreover, even if India qualifies for the WTC final in Lord’s, he won’t be part of the playing XI.
Karthik feels that Ashwin might have also realised that India will travel to England for a five-match Test series after the WTC 2025 final, which will be played till September, and he might not be part of the XI. So, he just does not want to stay in international cricket for the sake of it and instead leaves his place for someone deserving. Karthik also said that Ashwin has a young family, and he might have discussed it with them before making such a decision.
Ashwin has played 106 Test matches and has picked up 537 Test wickets at an average of 24.01 and a strike rate of 50.74. He has 37 five-wicket hauls and eight ten-wicket hauls in Test cricket.
