Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin retires from int’l cricket

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket in all formats after the third test against Australia finished in a draw in Brisbane on Wednesday.

“This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats in the international level,” the 38-year-old told reporters at the Gabba.

The right-arm off-spinner retires with 537 wickets from 106 tests, which is the second highest by an Indian bowler behind Anil Kumble’s 619.

Ashwin was not selected for the series-opener in Perth but returned to the side for the day-night second test in Adelaide, where he took one wicket. 

That match would prove to be his final test after he was left out of the side for Brisbane.

Speaking to the media, he said: “I do feel there’s a bit of punch left in me as a cricketer, but I would like to […] showcase that in club level cricket”.

“I had a lot of fun. I must say, I created a lot of memories alongside Rohit [Sharma] and several of my other teammates,” he added with the India captain by his side.

Ashwin has also played 116 ODIs and 65 T20 Internationals, finishing with 765 wickets across formats.

A proven match-winner on India’s turning tracks, he also became a decent test all-rounder, hitting six hundreds in the format.