Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin stunned many with his unexpected retirement announcement from international cricket, made after the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 Test on December 18 at The Gabba.
His decision, especially midway through the series, surprised many. Meanwhile, Ashwin’s father, Ravichandran, made a startling claim about the possible reasons behind his son’s early retirement.
In an interview with CNN News18, he revealed that Ashwin’s decision was driven by factors beyond just wanting to end his international career, alleging that Ashwin had been ‘humiliated,’ which may have influenced his choice to retire.
“I too came to know last minute, actually. “(Retiring) is his (Ashwin’s) wish and desire, I cannot interfere in that, but the way in which he gave that, there could be many reasons. Only Ashwin knows, maybe humiliation,” he was quoted as saying.
Though R. Ashwin’s retirement shocked many, including fans and experts, his father revealed they had anticipated it due to the ongoing ‘humiliation’.
“Definitely, no doubt about it (being emotional for the family), because he was on the field for 14-15 years. The sudden change – retirement – gave us really kind of a shock.”
”At the same time, we were expecting it because humiliation was going on. How long he can tolerate all those things? Probably, he would have decided on his own,” Ravichandran stated.
R. Ashwin’s father discusses his son’s retirement and his influence on his career
R. Ashwin’s father said that although he wasn’t aware of his son’s thoughts, he gladly accepted his decision to retire.
“What was going on in his mind I don’t know. He just announced. I too accepted it with full pleasure. I did not have any feeling at all for that. But the way he gave his retirement, one part I was very happy, another part not happy because he should have continued,” Ravichandran said.
Ravichandran said he encouraged R Ashwin to balance cricket and education, helping by driving him to practice and offering advice, but credited his son for managing his career independently.
“I only drove him to practice and encouraged him to balance studies and cricket. He did everything on his own with his intelligence and effort, without much help from me.”
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