Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], December 19: Former India captain Kapil Dev has expressed his disappointment over the lack of a proper farewell for Ravichandran Ashwin as the celebrated off-spinner announced his retirement from international cricket.
Ashwin made the surprise announcement following the drawn Brisbane Test on Wednesday. Speaking about the new generation of cricketers, Kapil Dev said, “The next generation has to be better than us. If not, the world is not progressing. We never imagined that someone would come close to Sachin Tendulkar or Sunil Gavaskar. Now Ashwin has gone, and I wish I had been there. I wouldn’t have let him go like that. I would have sent him off with a lot of respect and happiness.”
Ashwin, who had been a cornerstone of India’s success in Test cricket, revealed his decision in a post-match press conference alongside captain Rohit Sharma. The speculation surrounding his retirement grew when Ashwin appeared emotional and was embraced by Virat Kohli after the match.
In a career spanning 106 Tests, Ashwin amassed 537 wickets, including 37 five-wicket hauls, and scored 3,503 runs. His remarkable contributions to Indian cricket have cemented his place among the all-time greats. He is the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Test history, second only to Anil Kumble in India. Ashwin also has the second-most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket, after Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan.
Ashwin’s impact on Indian cricket, particularly during their rise to the top between 2014 and 2019, was pivotal. In limited-overs cricket, he played 181 matches, taking 228 wickets across 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is, with a best of 4/8 in T20Is. He was also part of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning squad and the 2013 Champions Trophy team.
With 765 international wickets across all formats, Ashwin ranks as India’s second-highest wicket-taker, just behind Kumble’s 953.
As Ashwin steps away from international cricket, his retirement marks the end of an era for Indian cricket, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations of cricketers.