Ahead of the Test series between India and Bangladesh, veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin responded to questions about his retirement. The off-spinner who will be 38 on September 17 admitted that he has not decided when he will call it quits.
Instead, Ashwin is concentrating on maintaining both physical and mental well-being each day. With age however, he gives more attention to remaining fit and agile, ensuring his place in international cricket.
Long-lasting achievements in the game are what keep him going. Ashwin can then forget about retirement date as he continues to be part of the success stories in the team today and tomorrow.
Both teammates and prospective cricket players find encouragement in his versatility and determination. Ashwin’s concentration is still on giving it his all as he starts a new Test series.
“There is nothing like that in my mind”- Ravichandran Ashwin
Following the intense speculations about his future in international cricket Ravichandran Ashwin, the 37-year-old Indian spin wizard has reacted to them. As long as he remains vital part of Indian Test team, he would only hang up his boots if he had lost interest in getting better.
“There is nothing like that in my mind. I am only thinking about one day at a time because when you get older, you have to put in extra effort every single day. It’s not the same. I have put in a lot of effort in the last 3-4 years. I haven’t decided (retirement), but the day I feel that today I don’t want to improve, I will leave. That’s all,” Ashwin said during a conversation with Vimal Kumar on his YouTube channel.
“I haven’t set any targets for myself. Anil Bhai wants me to break his record, but I’m just happy living day by day. I don’t want to lose my love for the game by setting targets,” he explained.
Ashwin is now rated ninth among Test cricket’s all-time leading wicket-takers with 516 wickets taken in 100 Test matches. He has collected up more Test wickets than any other spinner, just four.
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