'Only in team because it is my farewell Test' - R Ashwin reveals reason behind not opting for good-bye game

India’s ace spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin retired from international cricket on 18 December 2024 just after the the Gabba Test against Australia. Though the spinner was not part of the playing XI, he decided to call it quits after the match was drawn and two more games to go in the series. His retirement in the middle of the series came as a surprise to many cricket fanatics. 

It is worth noting that, Ashwin played just one game in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which was the second Test in Adelaide. Recently, the Tamil Nadu spinner opened up about his decision and also revealed the reason for not opting for a farewell game. He revealed that there was no given assurance that he would be fielded in the playing XI once he had zeroed in on his farewell game. 

"I want to play more cricket. Where is the place? Obviously not in the Indian dressing room but from somewhere else. I want to be honest with the game. Imagine if I want to play the farewell Test but I do not deserve a place. Imagine, I am only in the team because it is my farewell Test. I don't want that. I felt there was more strength in my cricket. I could have played more but it is always better to finish when people ask 'why' and not 'why not',” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
 
The veteran, who has 765 international wickets across three formats also added that the decision was instinctive when he thought that his job was done. He also added that he wanted to express his creativity elsewhere when he reckoned that on the international stage, the same was extinct. In his last Test, the 38-year-old claimed one wicket and scored 29 runs across two innings. 

"I think a lot. What to do in life. You all need to understand, that this happens instinctively. If someone gets to know, that their job is done, once that thinking comes, there is nothing to think. People said a lot of things. I don't think it is a big deal. You think what happened. I did not play the first Test. I played the second did not play the third. It was possible I could play the next or not play the next. This is a side of my creativity and I was looking to explore it. At that time, I felt my creativity was over so it was over. It was simple,” he continued. 

  "What difference will this make if I came out with the ball and people are clapping? How long will people talk about it? When social media was not there, people talked about it and forgot after one week. There is no need for a farewell. The game has given us a lot and we have played with a lot of happiness," Ashwin concluded.