'I have played with you for 14 years' - Virat Kohli reacts to Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement

Team India’s former Captain and batting stalwart Virat Kohli after sharing a heartwarming emotional hug and talk moment in the Gabba dressing room just a few moments before the ace Indian spin legend, Ravichandran Ashwin, announced his retirement from international cricket, took to his social media to reflect on his bonding and journey with his now former teammate.

Notably, after the third Test ended in a draw in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25), Kohli paid his sincere tribute to the Chennai-based cricketer. During his emotional message, the former Skipper specifically mentioned him being a true match-winner for India throughout his illustrious career. Moreover, he also stated that the duo shared the international cricket arena for 14 long years and extended his wishes for future endeavours in the post-retirement era.

For the unversed, Ashwin hung his boots on Wednesday, December 18, after the conclusion of the Brisbane Test against Australia. On the final and fifth day, rain and bad light together led to the game resulting in a draw, which meant that now the coveted BGT 2024-25 Test series is levelled at 1-1.

"I have played with you for 14 years and when you told me today you're retiring, it made me a bit emotional and the flashbacks of all those years playing together came to me. I've enjoyed every bit of the journey with you ash, your skill and match-winning contributions to Indian cricket are second to none and you will always and always be remembered as a legend of Indian cricket," Kohli wrote on his ‘X’ handle.

"Wish you nothing but the best in your life with your family and everything else that it unfolds for you. With massive respect and lots of love to you and your close ones. Thanks for everything buddy," he further added.

Check out Virat Kohli's viral message for Ravichandran Ashwin here:

I’ve played with you for 14 years and when you told me today you’re retiring, it made me a bit emotional and the flashbacks of all those years playing together came to me. I’ve enjoyed every bit of the journey with you ash, your skill and match winning contributions to Indian… pic.twitter.com/QGQ2Z7pAgc

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) December 18, 2024

Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin retires from international cricket

Kohli-Ashwin embraced each other in dressing room during Brisbane Test

Meanwhile, just a while ago, a heart-melting moment between Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin took place on Day 5 of the third Test, when the duo were seen talking about something, which was seemingly quite emotional as the latter was seen in tears. This initially led to the fans speculating about the possible retirement of the legendary off-spinner, which eventually turned out to be true.

Just after the conclusion, during the press conference, India Captain Rohit Sharma shared the platform with Ravichandran Ashwin, where he officially announced his retirement from international cricket.

Also Watch: Virat Kohli-Ravichandran Ashwin share warm hug amid retirement speculations

Now speaking of Ashwin’s illustrious career for Team India, his supreme form was witnessed during Virat Kohli’s Captaincy era between the years 2014 and 2021. As far as his overall contributions are concerned, the 38-year-old claimed a whopping 765 international wickets. During this 14-year span which began in 2010, Ashwin featured in 287 matches and took 37 five-wicket hauls and eight 10-wicket hauls, respectively.

Furthermore, Ravichandran Ashwin was named the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year and the overall Cricketer of the Year in 2016. As a result, this was only the third time that an Indian bagged the coveted Sir Garfield aka Garry Sobers Trophy. Moreover, from 2015 onwards, Ashwin became the world's number-one ranked bowler in the Test format on multiple occasions as well.