Former India spinner R Ashwin has finally put an end to the growing speculation around his retirement from international cricket, denying any rumours that former India captain Rohit Sharma or head coach Gautam Gambhir forced his decision. Ashwin ended his illustrious career as one of India’s finest spinners midway through the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia.

While his retirement naturally caused a buzz, particularly given the sudden nature of the announcement, Ashwin clarified on his YouTube channel that the decision was entirely his own. He also retired from the Indian Premier League in August, further confirming that no external pressure influenced him. Though a few people advised him not to retire, he made the choice himself.

“No one told me that you should go, no one told me that there is no place for you in the team. Actually before I took the decision 2-3 people told me not to take it, but I took my decision. In fact, they wanted me to play more,” Ashwin said.

He added that the then-captain Rohit and coach Gambhir both suggested he think twice before making an ultimate calll.

“Rohit Sharma also told me to think about it, Gauti bhai also told me to think again. But I didn’t talk much about it with Ajit Agarkar (India chief selector),” he added.

“The decision is very personal when it comes to retirement. These are all very individual decisions,” he added.

Ashwin’s retirement set off a notable sequence, with star batter Virat Kohli, one of India’s finest Test players, stepping away from the format just days after former Test captain Rohit Sharma, paving the way for Shubman Gill to take over as India’s Test captain.

Since then, under Gill’s leadership and without Ashwin’s spin, India delivered a solid performance during their England tour, finishing the series 2-2.

India are currently engaged in a two-match home Test series against West Indies, having started their new World Test Championship cycle with a commanding win in the first Test by an innings and 140 runs. In Ashwin’s absence, the spin duties were shared by Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar, all of whom performed admirably.

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