He played the second Test against Australia in Adelaide. He got sidelined for the third game later on, which led him to make he unexpected decision to hang his boots from international cricket. Ashwin’s departure has left a lot of people making assumptions to what led to his sudden decision.

Ashwin’s sudden retirement did not sit well with another Indian spin legend Anil Kumble, who shared his disappointment with how the legendary spinner decided to announce his retirement. he said that the players who have contributed for such a long period for the team deserves some special sort of 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 verge of surpassing Kumble as India’s leading Test wicket-taker at one point of his career. However, what Ashwin achieved in his career was nothing less than spectacular. He put an end to his career with an impressive total of 537 wickets and 3503 runs in 106 matches.

The post ‘Need to be sat down…’: Anil Kumble reveals why Ravichandran Ashwin’s sudden retirement disappointed him appeared first on Cricket Country.

During the second session, Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal were going strong as India did not lose a single wicket in that session.
Before the third session began, Ashwin posted a leadership-related post, which worked as a magnet and attracted lot of attention.

“Good leaders emerge when they show resolve for a scrap,” Ashwin wrote on X. “This tweet isn’t for people who own fan clubs,” he further said in the second post.

This tweet isn’t for people who own fan clubs😂😂 https://t.co/HthA1yiuWM

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) December 30, 2024

Ashwin then went on and later gave the clarification for making that post, stating that he had referred to Jaiswal in the post.

“Now a days, implied meaning can be taken out of context. I was referring to Jaiswal’s wonderful scrap today. Peace out folks,” he wrote.

Now a days, implied meaning can be taken out of context.

I was referring to Jaiswals wonderful scrap today. Peace out folks🤝 https://t.co/HthA1yiuWM

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) December 30, 2024

India went on and lost the match by 134 runs as Australia has now taken a 2-1 lead in the series with one match remaining. The result has also left India anything but out of the World Test Championship final race.

The post R Ashwin gives clarifies as his “Good leaders” Social media post triggers Conflict on social media appeared first on Cricket Country.

Soon after Ashwin’s retirement, reports came out suggesting that head coach Gautam Gambhir is responsible for this sudden retirement decision by the veteran spinner, especially when there were some conversations between the two before he bid farewell to international cricket.

Ashwin, who has travelled back to India as of now, said that the decision to retire was completely his own decision, and only marked the end of his international cricket journey.

“I quit this part of my life. It was a full stop to that part of my life. I can talk cricket, I do YouTube, I love coaching. I can keep myself happy around cricket. I will stay connected with cricket,” Ashwin said during a conversation with television presenter Gobinath on a YouTube show.

“I don’t have any regrets; I am not angry at anyone. I didn’t cry even one bit. No one else is responsible for my retirement. If there’s someone, I am not aware of it,” he added.

Ashwin will now be seen playing with players such as MS Dhoni in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has bought him in the mega auctions that took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The post Ravichandran Ashwin breaks speculations on Gautam Gambhir being ‘Responsible’ for the Star-spinner’s retirement appeared first on Cricket Country.

Following the massive announcement, many India legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Erapalli Prasanna questioned Ashwin’s decision of retiring midway through the crucial Australia series.

Speaking to Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Ashwin revealed that he had considered retirement earlier as well but finally decided about it when he felt that his creativity could no longer be fulfilled.

“I suddenly felt that the creative side didn’t have a lot of upsides to explore,”

“There is always that question that lies inside you. You keep asking yourself, ‘Am I making this decision the right way?’ In my case, it was slightly different. I do not know how to exactly position this. I’ve never been a person who holds onto things. I’ve never felt insecure in life. I don’t believe what is mine today is going to be mine tomorrow. That has probably been one of my elevating factors all these years,” Ashwin said.

During his 14-year long career, Ashwin picked up a highly impressive 537 wickets in red-ball cricket and retired as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in the format. Speaking on the podcast, Ashwin revealed that he did think about retirement previously as well, but decided to hang up his boots after he felt that hi creative side had nothing left to explore.

“I did contemplate [retirement] a few times. For me, the day I woke up and felt the creative side of me didn’t have a future or direction, that would be the day I would give it up. I suddenly felt that the creative side didn’t have a lot of upsides to explore,” Ashwin said.

“I’ve got no regrets because I’ve had to do it the hard way, but it has left me with the idea that the game has been my calling. People find their calling at different stages of their life, but I’m so glad this game found me and has given me meaning to life. I’ve played Test cricket for so long, and it’s even taught me how to construct and live my life. It’s the most beautiful thing that has happened for me,” Ashwin added.

The post ‘Wanted to leave things…’: Ravichandran Ashwin breaks silence on his retirement from international cricket appeared first on Cricket Country.

“The Men’s Selection Committee has named all-rounder Tanush Kotian as an addition to India’s squad for the fourth and fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The off-spinner from Mumbai has played 33 first-class matches, taking 101 wickets at an average of 25.70. In addition to his bowling achievements, Kotian has three five-wicket hauls and has scored two centuries and 13 half-centuries,” said BCCI in their official statement

“He was part of the India A squad and participated in the second first-class game against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Kotian played a pivotal role in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy 2023-24 triumph. He was awarded the Player of the Tournament for his outstanding all-round performance, which included 502 runs at an average of 41.83 and 29 wickets at an average of 16.96,” the statement further added.

Kotian’s bowling style is frequently compared to Ravichandran Ashwin. He bowls with speed, constantly delivering between 85km/h and 90km/h, while adding bounce and turn. He is a great addition to the team because of his ability as well as his talent for breaking partnerships.

Kotian used to play gully cricket during his beginning days in the busy lanes of Vikhroli, Mumbaito develop his abilities. His career has had a great influence by his father, a former semi-professional cricket player who is now a coach as well.

India’s squad for the fourth and fifth Test
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian

The post Ravichandran Ashwin’s replacement for Indian squad: BCCI announced all-rounder as the successor for legendary spinner appeared first on Cricket Country.

According to a report by Sportstar, Kotian has received his maiden call-up to join the India squad in Melbourne and will leave for Australia on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old who won the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai last season, is also a part of the side for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. Kotian is not only a reliable off-spinner but is also quite a decent lower-order batter, who can play important knocks in crunch situations.

In 33 first-class matches, Kotian has taken an impressive 101 wickets and has also scored 2 centuries. Due to his brilliant all-round displays he has become a regular in the Mumbai side across all formats in the last few seasons.

In this season’s Irani Cup, Kotian scored a century against Rest of India as Mumbai ended their 27-year drought for the domestic trophy. Then, in Duleep Trophy, he again impressed by picking up 10 wickets in only 3 matches for India A in their victorious campaign.

Kotian may have been given a place in the Indian squad, however, all-rounder Washington Sundar may be preferred over him in the starting XI for the upcoming Boxing Day Test which is set to commence from December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

The post Mumbai all-rounder Tanush Kotian added to India squad ahead of Melbourne Test: Report appeared first on Cricket Country.

A player that Ashwin was compared to throughout his career was former India spinner Harbhajan Singh. Throughout the years, it has been rumoured that the two do not get along.

However, shortly after Ashwin’s retirement, Harbhajan cleared the air, saying there is no truth to such claims.

“I read social media only as much as I need to. If there is a standoff between me and Ashwin or if there was ever any fight, quarrel or disagreement, I would be the first person to go up to him and ask what the issue is,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

“But it was never like this, and it will never be like this because whatever is in his destiny, he will get it, and I got whatever was in my destiny. He has been a phenomenal bowler for India. I am very happy for his achievement,” Harbhajan added.

Harbhajan clarified that he does not have any problems with Ashwin and added that he isn’t a fan of the management for preparing tracks that heavily favour the spinners on home soil as it leads to the Test match finishing in just 2-3 days.

“If people twist things on Twitter and make it seem as if I have a problem with Ashwin, then it’s their point of view. I am a little vocal about the fact that the pitches on which India play cricket are not good tracks, there is a lot of spin on these tracks and matches get over within two and a half days,” Harbhajan said.

“Because I am vocal about it, there is a lot of noise on social media, and people think I have a problem with one individual. I don’t have a problem with any individual, I respect everyone because it is not easy to play for the country. They are all my colleagues. They are all my brothers, some elder, some younger,” Harbhajan added.

The post ‘The issue is…’: Ex-India star breaks silence on rumoured rift with Ravichandran Ashwin appeared first on Cricket Country.

After Ashwin decided to bid goodbye to the game, his wife Prithi Narayanan penned a long emotional note for him on social media.

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“It has been a blurry two days for me. I have been thinking about what I can say.. Do I put this down as a tribute to my all time favorite cricketer? Maybe I’ll just take the partner angle? Or maybe a love letter from a fan girl? I guess this is a little bit of all of it,” Prithi wrote on Instagram.

“When I saw Ashwins PC, I thought of small and big moments. Many many memories over the last 13-14 years. The big wins , the MOS awards, the quiet silence in our room after an intense game, the sound of the shower running for much longer than usual on some evenings post play , the scratch of pencil over paper as he scribbled thoughts down, the constant streaming of footage videos when he is making a game plan, the calm of meditative breathing before leaving for each game, certain songs playing on repeat while he unwinds. 

“The times we weeped in joy – after the CT final, after the MCG win, after the Sydney draw, The Gabba win, after making a comeback in T20s…the times we sat in silence and the times when we had our hearts broken.”

Prithi also described what it was like to witness Ashwin’s cricketing journey from up close.

“Dear Ashwin, from not knowing how to put a kit bag together to following you to stadiums all over the world, rooting for you, watching you and learning from you, it has been an absolute pleasure. The world you introduced me to gave me the privilege to watch and enjoy a sport that I love from close quarters,” Prithi further wrote. 

“It also showed me how much passion, hard work and discipline is needed to keep your head above water. And sometimes even that is not enough. I remember us talking about why you, R Ashwin, had to do all of this and a lot more to even stay relevant in the scheme of things. How awards, the best of stats, the POMs, the accolades, the records didn’t matter if you didn’t sharpen your skill sets constantly and did not put in the work. Sometimes, nothing is enough.”

“As you end your wonderful international run, I only want to tell you that it’s all good. It is all going to be good. It is time to set the burden of being you down. Live life on your terms, make space for those extra calories, make time for your family, make time to do absolutely nothing, share memes all day, create a new bowling variation, bug our kids out of their minds. Just do it all,” Prithi concluded.

The post ‘The times we…’: Ravichandran Ashwin’s wife reacts to Indian all-rounder’s abrupt retirement appeared first on Cricket Country.

The legendary spinner put an end to his cricketing career as India’s second-highest wicket-taker, with 765 wickets in his international career. Congress MP Vijay Vasanth went to his official social media account and proposed the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya to reward Ashwin with Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.

I have written to the Hon’ble @mansukhmandviya, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, requesting that R. Ashwin be conferred with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. His exceptional contributions to Indian cricket and remarkable achievements on the field make him truly… pic.twitter.com/ES61C3LTLW

— Vijay Vasanth (@iamvijayvasanth) December 20, 2024

Ashwin is the seventh-highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket, along with being the second-highest for India. He also has the second-most five-wicket hauls in Tests. After bidding his goodbye from international cricket, he will now be seen playing in the upcoming season of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

The post Congress MP proposes Sports Minister to congratulate Ravichandran Ashwin with Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award appeared first on Cricket Country.

As the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 series is levelled 1-1 and the third Test resulted in a draw, the stakes are going to be high for the Boxing day Test. In the response to Kohli, Ashwin provided him with some words to encourage him for the fourth Test match.

“I’ve played with you for 14 years and when you told me today you’re retiring, it made me a bit emotional and the flashbacks of all those years playing together came to me. I’ve enjoyed every bit of the journey with you ash, your skill and match winning contributions to Indian cricket are second to none, and you will always and always be remembered as a legend of Indian cricket. Wish you nothing but the best in your life with your family and everything else that it unfolds for you. With massive respect and lots of love to you and your close ones. Thanks for everything buddy,” Kohli said in his tribute to Ashwin on X.

“Thanks buddy! Like I told you, I will be walking out with you to bat at the MCG,” Ashiwn replied.

The friendship between Ashwin and Kohli kicked off in 2011ODI World Cup. The long years of both of them in the same squad is a prime example of respect for each other and shared success.

The post ‘I will be walking out with…’: Ravichandran Ashwin replies to Virat Kohli’s remarks before Boxing day Test in Melbourne appeared first on Cricket Country.